Tuesday Morning
by SethSolare
Summary: Occurring between books 10 and 11, Keitaro and Naru attempt to sort out their relationship. Confusion and the constant indecisiveness begin to cause problems. And, there is definitely more than one girl at Hinata Sou. Keep in mind: this isn't an AU.
1. 01: Friendly Advice

Okay, so, I'm not exactly new at fic writing. However, I'm kinda rusty. Eh-heh… Anyway, I've spent a lot of time planning out the rest of this as I finished. Now, basically, I took a quick amount of time (IE: very little time) analyzing the song Tuesday Morning by Michelle Branch. Soooo… I think this is a very important for the fic, hence the name. Of course, it's quite a loose base for the fic… but a base nonetheless… 

I don't own Love Hina… blah-di-blah-blah…  
I do, however, own this fic…   
Keep in mind that Italics mean thoughts and/or flashback scenes. Just try and tell the difference, it's _easy_... 

- ~ - 

Tuesday Morning  
01 – Friendly Advice  
SethSolare 

As she stared out her balcony view, the light breeze blew her hair to the left side. Her nightgown, blue and thin, floated about in the wind. She wore some blue pajamas and had on her new blue slippers. The wind beat against her ears. She could hear that sound the wind commonly makes. A faint smile spread across her face while watching the town below her rise up this early. The small shops around Hinata opened up for business. The Hinata market started up briskly as it commonly does very early in the morning. All these little dots ran around the calm little town. Everything outside the Hinata Sou was completely calm and fresh. Inside, a board in her floor slid open.

"Naru?" a voice whispered from the floor. First hair, then eyes popped out of the little hole. "Can I come in?" 

"You're already in my room." Naru didn't bother to turn around to face Keitaro at all. "Come over here." 

"It's such a nice day, isn't it?" Keitaro mentioned, trying to start a conversation. He felt highly uncomfortable doing this. But, he did want to be up here with her more than anything. He walked over to her side and leaned on the balcony railing. His dark, short hair ruffled around a little in the wind. 

"Of course it is. It's nice to wake up with a friend by your side," a little bit of red came to Naru's cheeks. She felt a little awkward sharing this beautiful moment with such a nice person. He was maybe even too nice for her. With that thought, she quickly shook it away and turned to face her right. Perhaps a little blushing would give Keitaro the wrong idea, and she didn't want that to happen. 

"I kind of figured you'd be up pretty early," he said. 

"What made you think that?" she asked. Her reddish hair floated around his face. Brushing aside her hair, he crept around to her right side. A change in position suddenly put his face into her view. She stared at him and smiled a larger smile. 

"I don't know, I just thought it was what you were used to. You always wake up early for Tokyo U. I suppose that the end of the spring term wouldn't change your sleeping habits. Sleeping early, waking early. It's completely and utterly you," he said with a little sly look. He brushed her cheek lightly with his left hand.

"I'm sure you won't flirt like that with anyone in America," her eyes suddenly narrowed. Her right eye squinted at him and the edge of her lips rose a little. She looked at him rather seriously with that same stern look of hers. He snatched his hand back away from her face and closed his eyes awaiting a large impact.

"_Oh crap! This is really going to hurt. It sounds like I'm going to cheat on her. But, I can't cheat on her if we're not… wait. What am I thinking? Wait, where's the fist? The moving air? The ground?!" _Keitaro rattled off the thoughts in his head quickly. After a few seconds, nothing happened. She was holding his left hand and was simply rubbing the back of it. She stared out at the scenery before her. She was somehow very sure of him getting to go to America. Somehow, she thought that he would be going there and going with Seta. Somehow, she thought that he would be leaving Hinata for six months. He would be leaving her for six months… 

"Actually, while I'm there," he then took her hand and began stroking it. "All I could possibly think about will be-"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm _really sorry!_" a girl screamed as she was taking some clean laundry up to Naru's room. Clothes tumbled around everywhere. "I didn't know you were up here, Keitaro. I didn't mean to walk in on you and Naru …" Shinobu's voice trailed away. 

"It's fine. Here, let me help," Keitaro said as he ran over to Shinobu to help pick up the pile lying on the floor. Naru walked over to the heap in the middle of the hallway and began folding as well. Shinobu took every piece of clothing she picked up and folded neatly. Everything she did was so maternal. She stacked every bit of clothing in separate stacks. All of Naru's shirts were arranged by color in neat, different towers. 

"You know, Shinobu, you will make a fine mother one day," Naru said as she stacked another one of her shirts on the red pile. 

"I – I – I… Thank you," the girl said simply as she put down one of Naru's skirts. Slowly, her face began to light up like fireplace. She looked down with her bright red face as Naru giggled a little. 

Keitaro began to smile as well until he realized that he was touching an article of clothing not meant for his hands. A pink, lacy bra was right under his hands and a red, fuming Naru in front of his face. He quickly closed his eyes again and when he opened them, he was outside of the Hinata Café and in much pain.

- ~ - 

"You really need to be careful, Kei," Haruka pointed out. She lit up another cigarette after she put Keitaro's coffee on the table along with a box of bandages. "A girl's underwear is definitely not for your hands. That goes double for Naru's. Triple for Motoko's." Keitaro sighed a little, "Things began to sound good. I mean, there we were, on her balcony. We were just watching the sunrise and we were just standing there. It was very nice." He flinched a little at the stinging of the antiseptic.

"Don't be such a baby, it's not supposed to hurt that much. Besides, you're someone who can survive falling from a punch. This stuff shouldn't hurt that much," Haruka said as she patched up one little scratch. "But, I can see your dilemma. This punching thing shouldn't be happening in the first place. However, I am happy that things are very happy between you and Naru. Of course, you shouldn't have touched her underwear."

Keitaro giggled and flinched all at once. He thought about Naru so much. He was in love with her. There was no doubt anywhere. She knew it as much as he did. Everyone in the Hinata Sou knew it as well. Everyone acknowledged the fact that he loved her. Even Mutsumi knew it, as dense as she is. She tries so hard to get Naru to admit _all _of her feelings. The only person that really hasn't truly acknowledged it is Naru. The only person who won't outright say it all is Naru. As much as he loved her, he couldn't get past the fact that she wouldn't tell him how she really felt. All he could think about was that time near the pool:

_"I wanted to tell you that I love you," Naru said with a huge blush. Her hair blew around lightly to her left side. She smiled at Keitaro. She smiled at Kei.  
_ _"You mean…" Keitaro exclaimed, his heart skipping a beat. He could feel his jaw dropping at her words. She finally admitted it. She…  
"But I'm not sure," Naru came back as she looked aside, her hair finally settling. Keitaro fell over completely from her lack of decisiveness. _

"Are you thinking of the pool incident?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah, you know, I just – Wait. How do you know about that?" Keitaro asked, obviously completely and utterly taken aback by her knowledge of that incident.

"Seta and I were watching you," she stated simply as she put on the last bandage. "There. That's enough of the bandaging." Haruka stood up and walked away with the bandages. She put them away and walked back out to the table. "You really need to improve your aim."   
"Uhm, you mean, I mean, uh," Kei stuttered and looked down, embarrassed. 

"I didn't say you'd be practicing on _me,_" she said and quickly flicked his forehead. Keitaro regained his senses and decided to let his aunt talk. She was, perhaps, the most insightful and intelligent person around. She knew the most about these kinds of things. To turn down a man that was madly in love with her, she must have thought about that situation constantly. She must've known a lot about these emotional traumas, problems, and solutions. If anyone could help, it was Aunt Haruka. 

"Kei, you should just show her your feelings. Rather than trying to tell her, perhaps you could, as I said, aim better," she said with a little smile. Keitaro blushed a little. He wasn't too good at… that. He couldn't even get close to the vicinity of her lips. All he could do was kiss her nose. How horrible was that? "You really need to do more than just kiss her, Kei. I don't mean to take it that far either. Do you understand that? More than a kiss, less than sex." Keitaro felt a little stunned to hear Haruka tell him that. He didn't expect he'd be hearing about sex from his Aunt. 

"You know how to french kiss a girl right?" She just outright asked him that. 

"O – Of course I do," Keitaro stuttered along. He hadn't actually kissed Naru before, let alone French kissed her. 

"Mutsumi was probably a good kisser and all. But she's not your real first kiss. You haven't actually, really kissed a girl, but I guess you know how. Anyway, I guess you haven't actually thought about it that much since you seem startled by it. But I know you've at least thought about it." She was right. "Don't do it on the first kiss. She'll just hit you like she normally would." The word 'normally' made Keitaro flinch. She always hit him. Naru would never cease to find some kind of obscure reason to beat the crap out of him. 

"So, if it has to be more than a kiss and less than sex and not a French kiss, what?" Keitaro asked. He had no idea what he could do for Naru. He had no idea how to react girls, really. If anything, his first real girlfriend would or could be Naru. But, somehow, things were a little hopeless. Naru wouldn't even give him the slightest little verbal acknowledgement that she cared about him. Rather, she would say it, and then take it back. 

"You have to do more than tell her you love her. But I'm going to let you figure out what to do. It's a life experience for you. Be smart, Kei," Haruka said as she walked outside of the café. She watched outside of it as the little town outside of her little café moved about. There was happiness in this town. Maybe, just maybe, there may be happiness in Keitaro's the world called Hinata Sou.

- ~ - 

Kitsune handed the red head a can of cheap beer. Naru slowly looked up at her best friend, but refused the drink with a wave of her hand. Kitsune simply shrugged and plopped down on her floor. She was wearing her new tank top and shorts. She felt so at ease in her room, but she could sense the building tension that sat next to her. It was so odd to have Naru in her room like this. Usually the bath was the place for these kinds of things. But it was too early and Kitsune was too thirsty for a bath with simply water. 

It was so much easier to have discussions in the bath. Everything was so relaxing. It was warm and it felt wonderful. However, Naru didn't feel like it. She just sat on a pillow with her legs tucked up to her chest. Though she didn't want to try, Kitsune couldn't stand to leave her best friend like that. 

"Why don't you just tell him you're sorry?" Kitsune posed the little question as if it were something so simple. Maybe she could do it so easily because she was drunk. But Naru, she couldn't even justify in her head what she did. She hated herself for punching a guy that she cared about so much. 

"You know, I try so hard to resist trying to kill him. But, sometimes, he acts like a complete idiot. It makes me hate him so much. Then, he comes back from Haruka, completely bruised and bandaged. And you know what he does?" Naru seemed incredibly aggravated and sad all at once. Kitsune didn't bother to add in her little clever remarks. "He smiles at me. He smiles at me. He comes back to me, half-dead, smiling!" she screamed. She was completely red in the face. She could feel her face burning up. She looked like she had been completely sunburned. Then, she could feel water cool her face off as at streamed down her cheek. 

"I mean, I punch him and beat him up. I could send him into orbit if I wanted to. But I just want to keep him on earth. I want to keep him on earth, right next to me," Naru cried. She couldn't stop her tears. Kitsune, for the first time in a long while, had truly felt sorry for Naru. She hated seeing Naru cry, especially at this age and for this reason. 

"He's going to go to America. He's going to leave me behind. I could just kick him there if I didn't want him to stay. I could just tell him to go and never come back. I wouldn't feel guilty every time I even think about him telling me that he cares so much about me. I wouldn't feel guilty about hitting him every time we get close," Naru complained. "Why the hell do I keep doing this? I keep hurting my chances with him. I keep messing things up. I keep saying it's his fault. He's the pervert. He's the letch. I keep trying to not say that I care about him. " 

"I ruined the most perfect morning with him. I woke up and wore those pajamas because I remembered the way he looked at them when he first bought them for me. I wore them in hopes of him coming to see me that morning. I hoped to maybe even just ki…" her voice immediately halted. The familiar feeling of loss overwhelmed her. She felt horrible just thinking about his face. It was a feeling of guilt. The knowledge and acceptance that this was her fault made her feel worse. 

"Every time something happens with us, I want it to last. I'm happy when I'm with him and everything is wonderful. I wish that wish so much so that every time he so much as brushes my arm, I want him to do it again. Every time he touches me in like _that, _I can't help but with he'd just keep going on," she whispered. Kitsune's mind began to wander around that thought. With something like that in her mind, she couldn't possibly deny that Naru has deep feelings for Keitaro. Kitsune almost felt guilty. These kinds of thoughts aren't from Naru but from herself. "_I might have influenced her thinking of relationships a little too much._"

"I hate myself," Naru said plainly. She quickly snatched the can of beer from Kitsune's hand and began to drink. 

"Stop that! That's not going to help you at all!" Kitsune yelled as she took back the can. She wanted to help her friend more than anything and so she walked over and emptied out the can from the window. "I don't want to butt in, not this time, but," Kitsune reached out to Naru's shoulder. "I'll talk to him for you, if you want me to." Naru began to sob louder. She just couldn't stop. 

"Come on, you need a bath." Kitsune immediately dragged Naru down to the hot spring. 

- ~ -

Keitaro sighed heavily. "These bandages are on my face luckily. I guess I'll go wash the rest of me off." 


	2. 02: Washing My Hair

As you know, I do not, as well as anyone except Ken Akamatsu, own Love Hina  
I do own the fic, though…  
Oh, and there are no flashbacks here, so all italics are thoughts... 

- ~ - 

Tuesday Morning  
02 – Washing My Hair  
SethSolare 

The patchy areas of steam in the open-air bath seemed to shift about in the small bits of breeze that made it over the wall. The water was a bit calm this morning. Unlike the evening retreats to the hot spring, it seemed like a mirror in a steamy bathroom. The sound of a sliding door and a single pair of feet walked into the hot spring area. Warm feet suddenly broke the mirror-like effect and Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief.

It was quite the eventful morning. Things had happened that were good. Naru was incredibly beautiful. There was no doubt in his mind, nor any other guy's mind, that she was the most incredible woman they could meet. Keitaro actually remembered that some girls had not only noticed Naru's beauty but were very interested in seeing her. That little thought somehow got into his head. There would be him, Naru, and maybe…

"_Wait, what am I thinking? She hates me now. I touched her bra. That's just as bad as noticing that she wasn't wearing one this morning. But, the bra was nice. It was nice and lacy. And she wasn't wearing one. And the cool morning air kind of… WAIT! NO! WHAT AM I THINKING!?_" Keitaro's thoughts kept on coming. These very chauvinistic thoughts worked their way through him. It was dumb of him to see Naru like that. Though she may act tough and ready for any brawl, she can be so innocent when she lets her guard down or when she's drunk. But those are rare occasions. He hated himself for not catching her at times when she's innocent and sober. There are those once-in-a-blue-moon occasions where Naru actually shows that she might have feelings for him. Maybe there's something there she didn't see before. "_Maybe if she'd give me a chance._"

Keitaro wondered what Naru's actions meant. There were times when she showed something. There are those times when she said maybe. But with every maybe, there came a scream and a crater in the ground, a damaged telephone pole, or a hole in a roof. And because he was Keitaro, he'd have to fix all of them. The only thing he couldn't fix was Naru. Her image of him would be spoiled for the whole week. Sometimes, it would go on for a whole month.

"_What's the matter with me? Why do I love someone who doesn't show a bit of love for me? And just when I think she's going to tell me she loves me, right before we kiss, I always manage to screw it up. Somehow, she keeps taking it all back. How is it even possible for me to mess it up this many times?"_ Keitaro asked himself. "_Why do I love her? I can't explain it at all. I just can't stop thinking about her. She's violent. She has a short temper. She can be rude, ungrateful, and just mean. She doesn't love me… But I can't stop loving her. Why? _Why can't I stop loving you?" His last words were barely a whisper, drowned out by the moving of leaves.

Keitaro's little wounds weren't very painful. Mostly, they were just little scrapes and such. Keitaro already removed the bandages that weren't very dirty at all. If he needed them again, he had a first aid kit in his room. His little scrapes were meaningless to him. And the person to blame for all this. The person who wouldn't take responsibility for all of it was…

"Naru. Come on; you need a bath. You've got to take your mind off this for a while." Two pairs of feet tapped on the rock flooring of the Hinata Spring. Kitsune and Naru were already in the water by the time Keitaro noticed. Now, there was no escaping his inevitable flight into the sky. "_Oh no, not again! I think I forgot the sign this time. And it's all her fault. She made me forget it. If it hadn't been for the good morning and her violence, I would actually be concentrating on what the hell I'm doing. It's her fault. And now, she's gonna kill me._" Keitaro's thoughts blazed through his brain. The two of them were already comfortably situated in the water, and Keitaro could only watch and wait for death. He watched as they did nothing; they just sat there. It was an incredibly uncomfortable silence for all three of them. Kitsune glanced at Naru every couple seconds. It was an odd feeling to be sitting next to a rather boring Naru. Kitsune, after a little while longer, couldn't take it anymore. There had to be some amount of sound in the hot spring.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Kitsune asked. It seemed like such a simple question. And yet, Naru couldn't answer. She didn't know why she couldn't just admit it. The time at the pool was as close as she could get. Feelings were always hard to say. Saying them and then saying it like you mean it are two different things. It was always difficult to speak your feelings for someone. And as much as she denied the words that she wanted to say to him, she knew. It was somewhere inside of her.

"I can't. I just don't want to," Naru whispered. "_What'd she say?_" Keitaro asked himself. He couldn't even read her lips. The steam was quite thick and that made it easy for him to hide and difficult to even get close to what she was saying.

"How can you say that? Don't you want to tell him? Doesn't he mean anything to you?" Kitsune began to yell. Kitsune was aggravated now. Not only would Naru not admit her feelings to Keitaro, she wouldn't completely answer her best friend. "_Do I have to do everything for them? If she doesn't want Keitaro, I'll take him. Hell, any of us would take him. Even Motoko's got some feelings for him,_" Kitsune thought. Keitaro was completely stunned at this. He had a good idea of what she was talking about. However, certainty was something that was very precious, since those words were usually fickle things.

"I just can't love him. What about everyone else? What about _you_? Don't you like him, too?" Naru asked. The only word that could even be heard by Keitaro was, "you." Besides Kitsune, no could hear what she said.

"Keitaro and I are just friends. Naru, he loves you. He would give up everything to be with you. Why is that not good enough for you?"

"Because, what if… what if it doesn't work out? I don't want to be in a relationship just because we said we liked each other. I told him the same thing. I want to be friends with him… forever. But, if I were to date him, things would change. And if it fails, how could we be friends after all that? Things would have changed so much," Naru murmured. Her voice got softer and softer. Tears tried to make their way out. However, as much as she had to, Naru wouldn't cry. She didn't want to. Tears were useless here. But, with all the water around her, Kitsune wouldn't be able to tell. However, if the crying were to start, it wouldn't stop. It would be impossible to stop.

"I'm sorry, Kitsune. I wish I could be more open with you. I'm sorry," Naru's last words came off as a sob. The pain was almost overwhelming. With little ability to stay beside her best friend, Naru stood up and ran back inside. Kitsune didn't even try to run in after her. Just like all people, even herself, pain was something you had to first deal with in your head a little. She hoped that Naru would come back to talk later. There was nothing that could be done right now.

After a little while, Kitsune noticed ripples coming from behind the steam. She tried to make out the figure through the thick mist. Keitaro's heart began to pound. He knew that she was looking right at him. He also knew that she figured out that he had been spying on the conversation the entire time. It was written all over her angry and sad fast. "You might as well just come over her, Keitaro. Besides, it's not like you could hear her from there," Kitsune spoke with some insight.

"I – I couldn't hear her," Keitaro blushed profusely. "I – Is it okay if I sit next to you?" he called from the mist.

"I don't see why not. It's not like you haven't seen me naked before," Kitsune laughed a little. "What are you doing in here, anyway?" she asked.

"I was, well, you see, I," Keitaro didn't know what to say. "_Oh, Kitsune, I was just spying on you and Naru talking about me. That's what I came here to do,_" Keitaro considered these choice of words in his emotionally distraught state. "I was washing my hair."

"I'm sure you were," Kitsune came back at him. Keitaro looked at Kitsune for a moment. Her really light hair was almost like silver. It was precious. Little droplets of water glistened in the strands. The sunlight sent little rays of light in Keitaro's eyes. Her hair seemed to shine. It wasn't the normal, beautiful shine of her hair; it was angelic, almost.

"_He sure is looking at me strangely. It has to be that weird look Naru gets whenever she walks by cute guys._" Kitsune noticed the intense gaze. Brown eyes looked at her. "_Geez, why does he have to look like that?_" she asked herself. Without his glasses, Keitaro looked incredible. He was just about as cute as Seta was. Strangely, Kitsune could imagine falling in love with this Keitaro. She could even imagine kissing him. His eyes were just incredible. When they weren't hidden behind glasses, it was as if he were changed entirely. If only those eyes would be on every man. "_If only I had his eyes_. _I could be just as beautiful as Naru. I guess I can see why everyone likes him. Even Motoko likes him. It's so strange that he's with me. _"

"You know, Keitaro," Kitsune started, "You don't have to lie. I know you were listening. It's no secret you want to know what she feels," Kitsune's voice was barely a whisper. However, Keitaro could definitely hear every bit of her words.

"I never actually heard what she said. Just everything that you said."

"Is that so? Did you even understand what we were talking about?" Kitsune hoped he wasn't as dense as he usually was. "_Just once, today, be intelligent._"

"I wish I knew what she said." Keitaro went on, "Thanks, though, for telling her. I just wish I had the courage to say all those things to her face."

Kitsune looked at Keitaro's saddened face. He stared into the water at his feet. Pity began to grow within. He was so beautiful to her. And somehow, she hated how he was. She didn't like looking at him when he was like this. His face, once so incredible, was filled with emotional scars that never seemed to close.

"Keitaro?" she whispered. He looked up and into her eyes. "_Dammit, Keitaro. You just have to. Why can't you just be like every other moron?_" She had to look straight through him or she would never be able to control what would happen.

"Keitaro, back when I was younger and in high school, I dreamed of falling in love. I once told this guy that I loved him. And he never wanted to go out with me in the first place. He thought I wasn't mature enough. He fell in love with my best friend," Kitsune forced a little laugh. She could feel the lump in her throat grow.

"You mean, Naru?"

"Of course I do!" she yelled at him. With a little jump, Keitaro began to get nervous very fast.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scream at you," Kitsune apologized. "But yeah, it was Naru. Since then, I never really wanted to tell another man how I feel. I hate being hurt, Keitaro. And I know you hate it, too. Everyone hates it. But as much as we hate it, it never goes away." She was silent again. Keitaro looked in awe at her.

"_She really does seem to shine. I wish I had more times like these with her,_" he thought. She really was pretty. Kitsune was older, and definitely more developed, physically and emotionally. Though intelligence was something Kitsune didn't have as much of, she had an incredible personality to make up for it.

"_I wonder if he…" _Kitsune had a strange thought that moment. It seemed to flood her mind. There they were. Two people, alone, in a hot spring. They were both naked. Though she did want to save herself, she did think about something else. It would be awkward, though. Keitaro was too fixated on Naru and his mind and heart would never leave her. But Kitsune knew what she felt. Maybe just this once…

"Keitaro, back then, I told myself I would never tell another man how I felt. It's like I'm becoming Haruka. I can never admit what I truly inside. As much as I try and love someone, I just don't have the willpower to say it," she said with clarity. Keitaro seemed to be admiring her for this honesty. "I tried to with Seta. But I cared about Naru. Perhaps even loved her. Probably loved her about as much as you do right now," Kitsune said. Those words completely shocked Keitaro. "_Kitsune was in love with Naru?_"

"I was in love with her, yeah. I mean, she was the most beautiful girl I knew. I never did anything. She's not like that. I'm not much like that either. She's the only one I ever thought about, like that," Kitsune whispered again. She really didn't want anyone to know about her bisexuality with Naru. "_I never imagined I'd be telling Keitaro this._"

"Kitsune, I," Keitaro tried. "I never knew you were."

"I don't like a lot of girls Keitaro. My feelings for Naru went away with time. Truthfully, I never really liked another girl since her. I do admit, though, Motoko is a very beautiful girl," Kitsune giggled. "_I guess now's a good a time as any._"

"You know, Keitaro, I hated myself for not telling people I love that I love them. Now be mature about this. Be very mature for me," she said with a stern look. Keitaro simply nodded. "As many times I joke about it, I know what I feel for you." Kitsune took a quick glance at Keitaro. She expected a look of horror. Maybe there would be a look of hatred, distaste, and shock. Instead, there was only a soft look of kindness. It was that same look that made her fall in love with that man. However, he didn't say anything.

"_I never knew she had this feeling. Not that I didn't sense anything. We are flirty and all, but not like this,_" he thought. Nervousness set in and he could feel that huge boulder sitting in his throat. And that boulder seemed to grow as Kitsune inched closer to Keitaro.

"I wish I could've said something sooner. I don't like crying about the men I fall in love with. But I'm turning into Haruka. It's stupid. She's so strong for us, but she can only cry in front of him. When she's alone, in the tea house, she cries. She cries and cries about how she can never have Seta. She cries because she loves him and for her to accept him, it would be wrong." Kitsune's heart seemed to explode with every beat. She could feel so much inside of her. And with all of that, she knew how empty she would feel very soon. "I don't want to be like Haruka, And now… now I can never have what Naru has." She whispered one last word. She looked at him quickly. With little thought, she jumped on him and began to kiss him deeply.

"_What the hell? What is she doing? Why?_" Keitaro's thoughts blazed. He could feel his face heat up. He felt strange inside. With every passing second of her kiss, he became more aware of everything that was happening. The water around him seemed to feel much cooler. He could feel her warm body on top of his. With that body, came that feeling of her skin. It was incredibly soft. It was definitely… womanlier… than Naru's. With all this clarity of the world, he didn't even sense his hands moving to close around her. It took a while for him to realize what he was doing. "_Dammit, she's so wonderful!_" he suddenly thought. It was then that he finally started kissing her back.

Every second, her lips seemed to grope his. Her warm breath from her nose tickled him. He could feel the water completely surround this powerful embrace. With every one of her breaths, he could feel her chest swell against his. Subconsciously, hands started roaming her bare back. His hands crept all the way to her neck. Kitsune, though, somewhat experienced at kissing, never expected this from Keitaro. A shiver went through her body as his hand reached the back of her neck.

She could no longer control what was happening to her. For the longest time, she hadn't had a kiss this wonderful, this powerful. It was everything to her. It was what she had inside. For more than a year, she kept this inside. Inside, it was all in a small bottle of love. And now, that bottle exploded and became this. It became this outburst of passion. She loved every bit of this feeling.

She could even sense the bravery of this guy. And in no time, she felt her tongue wrap around his. It was smooth and slow. Kitsune held him tightly and let a hand rest on his chest. It was as if she finally had the man that she always wanted. Though, as much as she kissed him. As much as she loved him. As much as he kissed back.

He couldn't fall in love with her. He would never fall in love with her.

As she thought that, she felt Keitaro's tongue leave, then his lips. And in a blink, his lips and teeth were at her neck. "_What is he doing? Damn, this is wonderful. Dammit, he's wonderful!_" she pondered. He could feel his teeth softly dig into her neck. As much as she wanted to do the same, she would, in turn, ruin any chance he had with Naru… her best friend. She had already lost. And yet, she was winning, at that very moment.

Suddenly, Keitaro just stopped.

"Keitaro, what is it?" she asked. Again, her voice was barely audible.

"I know what you're thinking." Kitsune was elated. Had he actually fallen in love with her? Maybe he would give up on Naru. Maybe, she could be happy. "I wish you could be wrong."

And with those words, Kitsune's heart immediately broke. Inside, she felt it shatter and fall apart.

"Kitsune, I really wish you were wrong. But, I guess, the heart is what is right. I'm s-" Kitsune put a finger to his lips.

"If you tell me you're sorry, our kiss would mean nothing. Let's just leave it at that," she said. She removed the finger from his lips. Looking into his eyes, she softly caressed his cheek with her right hand. "Now, I have my happiness. I have my memory of you engraved into my heart, my lips, and neck," she giggled a little at those words. Though she felt so sad inside, she felt happy that she had this time with him. She smiled at him. "Now, you go get the real treasure," she said with a small kiss to the lips. Slowly, she removed her body from his. As he looked at her, she smiled back at him. Keitaro could only smile back. He had no idea what to feel at this moment, but he knew she was letting him go. He hadn't learned what he had hoped to learn. However, the things that he knew now were as precious as that silver, glistening hair of hers. He promptly stood up from the hot spring, and went back inside.

"_You better get her,_" she sighed. "_If you can't, I'm still here for you._"

As she tried to smile, she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky. Warm water streaked away from her eyes and into the spring as she soaked.

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: Hmm... Okay, so I've been thinking… The effect of the song doesn't take place until maybe even chapter 4 (if I don't draw it all out any longer than that, hehe). It seems like torture, hehe. Anyway, I really thought out this chapter and it's definitely my favorite, for now… We shall see what chapter 3 brings us! Thanks, in advance, for all your words!


	3. 03: Moonlight Conversations

I have to repeat myself because it seems to be a running theme. I don't own Love Hina. I own the fic. Italics are thoughts...  
Oh, I might want to add, that I thank you for your comments. If you want to hear me say more about them, read them when you're done with the story at the bottom...  
Anyway, onward we go...

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning  
03 – Moonlight Conversations  
SethSolare 

"_I've been wandering around this place all day. I haven't a clue what I could say to him,_" Naru thought to herself. Wandering allowed her to think. Hinata Sou was a beautiful place. It was such a large piece of land that everywhere you went was peaceful. The green grass, the trees, everything was beautiful to her. But she had seen this spot for the fifth time today in decreasing intensities of light. It was only now that she realized her feet were really killing her. Dead tired, she flopped down on the ground in her childish way. Blank stares at the clouds were common things in her world. She almost had to do that, and often. It gave a peace of mind, a peace of heart. The clouds were very hard to make out now, though. Soon, she knew she would have to return to the comfort of her room. Sleeping was almost a dreadful thing, especially if the only thing protecting you from being with the love of your life was a piece of plywood and a stuffed animal. 

"Um, N – N – Naru? I really would like to talk with you, if you don't mind," a soft voice called out from behind her. The nervousness signaled some dreadful talk. But, Naru, who loved Shinobu as a person and as a sister, could never deny a talk to someone like her. Shinobu was not alone, though.

"Narusegawa, Naru. We must talk," Motoko explained in her rather terse way. Naru seemed to always dread talking to Motoko about these things. Though she was a very good person, Motoko could never accept such incomplete answers, something that was very common from Naru. 

"Hi, you two." It was the only thing she could think of. 

"Naru, I know you and Keitaro have been really getting close and all, um, if you don't mind my saying. And I want to say I'm happy that you are beginning to work things out with him," Shinobu said, trying to get the words out rather shyly. However, Naru wanted to just die right there. Nothing was being worked out except her own arm muscles and Keitaro's vocal chords. He would be flying off into the distance somewhere at every one of their meetings. If anything, though, they were just drifting farther and farther apart. 

"But," Motoko chimed in rather quickly, "we both know that something has been stopping you from getting any closer that things are now. And we know that you are beginning to lose control of your own sanity over this." 

Naru couldn't believe what she just heard. Motoko was not renowned for her insight into the relationship world. And Naru would never expect hear something like that from Motoko. It was something she would possible condone, after sending Keitaro into the sky. 

"_I don't get it, even Motoko wants to get Keitaro and I together. It doesn't make sense. They just don't get it!_" her mind lashed out. It was almost impossible for her to make any sense of it all. She knew her feelings for Keitaro, but there was just something she didn't understand. She didn't understand because she didn't know what it was. 

"Narusegawa, do not deny your feelings to him. In the end, you will only torment yourself. If you do not tell him, tell us, for now. You need to let them out," Motoko's bluntness felt like a brick to Naru's heart. Motoko knew nothing of what Naru was feeling inside. "_I don't think she's ever felt the way I do. At least I don't think it was ever this intense. No way, she's too proud for that kind of thing._" 

"Naru, I think you really should try and tell him. I mean, it would be much better for you, I think," Shinobu tried to get out. She didn't want to sound too commanding. Though she needed support from someone for this kind of talking, she wasn't sure if Motoko would be right for all of it. No offense to Motoko, but Kitsune would have been a much better choice. However, she was nowhere to be found. 

"I just don't think it would be a good idea," she whispered. Her first instinct was to run. However, her legs were already so tired. She realized the immense pain in her feet and it ran all the way up to her hips. Getting up would not be easy, perhaps even impossible. "_I guess I'm going to have to stay here._" 

"Narusegawa, what do you feel for Keitaro? Tell me right now," the words sounded so commanding. It was almost, threatening. It was different today, less threatening today because Motoko was without her sword. She wore her tight, red pants and a new, white, tank top. It was all very womanly for a girl who would never be caught dead being too close to a man. It would be worse if she even admitted feelings for any man. "_Why would ask me to do something she herself would never do?_" 

But after that quick thought, something changed. Motoko's demeanor changed from a commanding self to something different. Something she had never been before in front of people. Motoko's eyes became softer and she seemed very relaxed. Everything warrior-like about her had faded. Only the woman in her was left. She sat down next to Naru and cradled her head like a mother would. This was something very new to Naru, something she had never seen Motoko do, ever. Shinobu sat down as well. "Naru, I know you have feelings for him. But you just won't say it. You can say it in your head over and over. You can admit it to yourself. But unless you admit to him, it means nothing," Motoko spoke out plainly. Her physical strength and warrior-self were gone now. All that was left was emotion. "You know that all of us have some kind of connection with Urashima." 

"Um, she's right, you know. We all want to have some special kind of friendship with Kei," Shinobu said. She could feel her face burn up completely and she felt conscious of her cheeks lighting up the area, giving away the secret meeting. 

"You mean Motoko has feeling for him, too?" Naru asked. 

"No, Naru. I have a respect for him as a person. He is not only my landlord, but also my friend. And I would do much for him. He has done so much for all of us, and we can only give him our friendship. We sometimes offer help in the dorm. Shinobu does housework for all of us. I have been able to keep out several criminals. But he treasures friends, and for him, that is enough." Motoko's brain was definitely working on woman mode. She did not flinch at any of Naru's words or her own. 

"I think I know what you feel for Kei. But I don't know for sure. I think you should just admit it to him," Shinobu added. But she didn't understand. For Shinobu, it was all innocent and kind. She would be too young to understand all of the things going on in her head. "_She doesn't get it. She doesn't understand that it's twenty times more complicated than that._" 

"I know you're scared Naru. I would be, too. But I'm not in love with him. You are, and that's all that matters. You need to accept that fact and tell him. You must remove your fears and show your strength," Motoko said, holding Naru closer to her. 

"_Motoko would make a great mother. She's such a wonderful person. But, she just doesn't get it. She doesn't understand. She has no idea what I feel,_" she thought. But, in her mind, she knew she didn't know what she felt either. She didn't understand any of it. If there was an idea of the feeling, it was quickly forgotten. She did not want to acknowledge it at all. 

"You know you love him. Tell him." 

"I really think that you should tell him you love him." 

"_NO! I CAN'T! _I CAN'T DO IT!" Her thoughts and screams suddenly meshed and she could feel the power in her legs again. Energy and fear drove her away from there. However, she could not hear footsteps behind her. The two of them stayed there at the top of the hill. 

"I think we should go after her, Motoko." 

"No, she should be alone." 

With heavy feet, the two of them descended the hill.

- ~ -

She had wandered around the town already. She drank anything and everything. Walking in a straight line became a task for her and she could no longer see clearly. The streets around her were closing in around her and the ground was no longer there. Walking was the only option left. However, her feet were ready to give up. 

"_Just a few more steps,_" she thought. Kitsune's feet were no longer on the ground, though. She felt the pavement on her face, or rather her face on the pavement. She didn't know anymore. Then, from around her, somewhere, she heard what could have been footsteps, or maybe a car, or maybe gunshots. She couldn't be sure anymore. 

"I don't want to go with you when you go drinking, but if you keep this up, I might have to," Haruka said. Carrying a barely conscious Kitsune into the Hinata Tea House, Haruka let her cigarette drop to the ground. It was gone and no longer useful to her. With a grown woman on her back, she walked into the Tea House, which by now was closed. It was already nine o'clock and by now, Kitsune had been sobering up for an hour. "And tomorrow, you'll wish you had PMS instead." Though Haruka laughed at herself, Kitsune was asleep already. 

After about three hours, Kitsune woke up in Haruka's room. A little, warm cloth was placed on top of her forehead. As a little bit of her vision came back to her, she saw Haruka's smiling face and no cigarette. She blinked several more times to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. She felt she could readily command her body now. 

"You need to be careful," Haruka commented as she changed the cloth. She spoke so calmly. She wasn't angry, like Kitsune had thought she would be. It was strange to see her being so motherly. It wasn't something that was common for Haruka to do, especially for Kitsune, being so grown already. But perhaps it was because Haruka considered Kitsune a younger version of herself. "_I wonder if she's the one that found me._" 

"You were completely out of it. You were just laying outside the Tea House." Haruka spoke as if she knew exactly what Kitsune was thinking. 

"You could have just left me there," Kitsune said softly. 

"You're drunk, so I'll let that one go," Haruka came back at her. 

"I'm not that drunk. Not anymore at least. Just let me sleep." 

"Shut up," Haruka said plainly. It was so terse and complete that Kitsune couldn't say anything back. "Let me tell you something," Haruka started. "When I was in love with Seta, when we were kind of dating, I didn't say a word to him about what I felt. I looked at him and felt happy. But I didn't bother telling him that." 

"Why didn't you?" Kitsune asked. She thought she already knew the answer to that question. She would grow to become Haruka: alone, unmarried, and sad.

"Why?" Haruka asked as though she wanted to be very dramatic about it. "I said nothing for the same reason you haven't until now. I know you like Seta, as well. Who wouldn't?" 

"I-" she tried to get out, but Kitsune couldn't think of anything to say. Haruka let out a little giggle. 

"I don't expect you to admit to me that you love him. I already know," Haruka said. Kitsune was confused. She didn't know whether she was still talking about Seta or Kei. "It was good that you told him now. Before all of this would have been better, yes. But at least you didn't wait any longer. I supposed that's better than nothing." 

Kitsune tried to formulate words, but it was a difficult task for her. It wasn't because she was still somewhat drunk, though that added to the problem. It was mostly because there was nothing she could say. 

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Haruka asked. "_Finally, something I can answer,_" Kitsune thought. 

"Well, before we even got into the spring, I already knew he was there. I could see someone in there, and all the girls, I knew, were still inside. Some were still sleeping." The words came out slowly but clearly. Haruka nodded in approval, it seemed. 

"Anyway, Naru and I talked about how she loves Kei. She needed to tell him. She's afraid, you know?" Haruka nodded again. Kitsune looked at her again, still smiling. "_Okay, nothing bad has happened yet._" 

"After she left, Keitaro came out and we talked. He was grateful for me sticking up for him. It was nice to see him like that. Nice, I mean, not half-naked," she said and let out a little laugh. Haruka laughed along with her. 

"But, I began to lose control of my mind and body. Then, I found myself on top of him, kissing him like the end of the world was coming. And then we started French kissing." With those words, Haruka's smile changed to a neutral expression. "_I didn't think he had that kind of guts in him,_"Haruka thought to herself. 

"I started to kiss him so hard that I felt like I was trying to have him glued to me. Then, he started biting my neck." Kitsune's eyes started to hurt again. For her, it was getting to be too emotional. But her words began to spill out of her uncontrollably as Haruka sat next to her with he common expression. "_I wondered what that mark was,_" Haruka thought, once more. 

"Then, it all stopped. I told him I loved him and sent him off to Naru. Then, he left me and I cried until I couldn't cry anymore in that stupid place then got drunk and cried more and got even more drunk and cried even more," Kitsune tried to keep going but her breathing got in the way. Her crying became worse and worse and she couldn't control the tears anymore. Instantly, Haruka was at her side cradling her head close to her chest. Kitsune let everything go and let her eyes burn and ache with every tear that streamed down her face. Haruka's apron was soaking up every tear, like some kind of pain absorbent. Kitsune felt the pain leave her eyes and fill the apronwith her own pain. 

"_I should say something. I just can't think of anything,_" Haruka thought to herself. But her motherly side came out and she decided to tell more of her life story. "Kitsune, I want you to listen to me, okay? After she married Seta, I cried every night. I got even more wasted than you did tonight. I felt everything slip away. I cried alone, every night, though. I felt everything inside of me hurt. I knew, for the rest of my life, I could no longer love him," Haruka said softly. 

"You know what?" Haruka started. Kitsune attempted to look up from the apron. There was an obvious spot of tears on it. Kitsune's eyes were an incredible red. To anyone, she would look like someone who was part of some evil anime cult. But she still looked up to her mother-like figure. "I still cry," she said plainly. 

Those words made Kitsune cry even more. However, her eyes were already dried up. There were no more tears left to cry. She had used them all up. But, despite the loss of water, she sobbed away, staring at Haruka. She snuck in closer to Haruka's warm body. 

"_She's so wonderful. I wish she were my mother. Everything would be so much better,_" Kitsune thought. She felt every pang and pain her heart made and felt. And all of it washed away with her tears. Every bit of her pain was on that apron now. Yet, she still felt so much sadness within. 

Haruka held the girl closer and realized that this was something that had to be walked off. Kitsune probably was too dizzy to even stand up. Instead, she decided to give the girl a piggyback ride around the Hinata Sou grounds. 

She slowly turned around and took Kitsune's frail arms. She was so afraid that she might break her arms off. With a certain amount of grace, Haruka wrapped the girl's arms around her neck as though she were putting on a scarf. Gracing her fingers slowly over Kitsune's arms, she attempted to take Kitsune's legs. Tucking her hands behind the legs of the now tired girl, she stood up slowly. Kitsune did not even hold on completely. She was completely supported by Haruka. 

The two of them walked around the ground for a little while. They stared at trees and stars. It was so peaceful for both of them. Neither of them said a single word to each other the whole time. The two of them sat down for a moment, though. Sitting on the grass, back to back, they simply sat. Nothing incredibly remarkable happened. It was simply peace and silence. There were no sobs, no sniffs, and no words. 

Soon, however, Haruka stood with Kitsune to return to the Hinata Sou. Kitsune gave her wonderful mother a soft embrace. 

"You don't want to be like me, do you?" Haruka asked. 

"No," Kitsune said plainly. Haruka smiled at the woman and gave her a ride back to her dorm room. By the time they arrived, however, Kitsune was already asleep. She laid her down on the futon and covered her up. 

As she entered the hall to return to the Tea House, she saw Keitaro come down the hall. She was already tired, though. She didn't have time to talk to him. Instead, she put a finger to her lips and walked past him. Keitaro stood there for a moment, staring as his aunt disappeared downstairs. Keitaro, puzzled, peeked into Kitsune's room. He didn't want to disturb her sleep. Keitaro closed his eyes and continued forward. 

- ~ - 

As she entered the Tea House, she lit a single candle. It was her favorite thing to do at night. Her face hovered over the flame feeling the warmth of the candle. But as quickly as it had come, water smothered the flame, and it was gone. Haruka felt her knees hit the floor and she stayed there until she fell asleep. 

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: I realized that some of you are hoping for Kei/Naru... The rest are hoping for Kei/Kitsune. Truth is, I don't know... or maybe I don't want to tell you! HA! Actually, we'll see where we're going, hmm? I hope you guys like it. Thanks for all your beautiful words... it pushed me to finish this chapter after 3 hours of sleep! Thanks muchly! ~SSol


	4. 04: Reminder

Look around in the first three chapter for what I usually say up here

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning  
04 – Reminder  
SethSolare 

In the darkness of the Hinata Sou, stumbling was could be head at the end of every hall on the second floor. As late as it was, it was impossible to sleep early. Keitaro had so many things on his mind that he couldn't sleep, no matter how hard he tried. He knew he couldn't sleep, but he might as well close his eyes. He felt tired, but not sleepy. As Keitaro walked into his room, he noticed the board covering his ceiling was slightly opened.

"_I could go up there. Of course, that could be a bad thing. I have to talk to her, though. I need to,_" Keitaro thought to himself. He was very worried, first, of Naru's sanity. Keitaro knew that she was not feeling well. She had an emotional conversation with her best friend. In all the time he had known Naru, there had been only a few of those, and all of them were accompanied by trouble. Keitaro needed the words from Naru, though, to clear his conscience. He felt like he had hurt her immensely. "_I'm going to go talk to her._" He decided that this was the time to say what he needed to say. He hoped that he knew what to say.

He stared at the piece of plywood for a moment. He couldn't imagine or formulate words in his mind. The only words that came to mind were words that he already said. But, he knew he should apologize for making her feel the way did. Finally, Keitaro realized he had to do this, no matter what. It didn't matter if he didn't know what to say now. When it was time to speak, the words would be there. He then climbed on top of his table and reached up to the board. Sliding it away, he found Naru.

She was lying on her floor reading a new manga she had recently bought. It was another one of the books that made her forget. She read about how this girl could never get close to the man she loved. She would try and try to get close to him. And it wasn't like he was the most attractive man in the universe. However, he was definitely a kind person and he loved that other girl very much. And as much as the first girl tried, she would never have him while her best friend loved him and dated him. 

She read page after page of tear jerking story. She knew that a life like in an anime would be so much better. Everyone's emotions were known and somehow, all the characters seemed psychic. They knew what their friends were thinking, but were so oblivious to the important things. She wanted everything to be like this.

She read onward as she noticed the pages in her left hand were growing thinner. Soon enough, though, she finished the book and put it down next to her. She let out a sigh as she turned to face her Liddo doll. Under it was Keitaro's head, looking her direction. She, unlike she thought she would have, gave him a soft smile. "_He's so cute with that doll on his head,_" she thought. She was feeling somewhat better now that she had time to talk to herself. Her mood changed every time she finished one book. Her particular book was rather happy. The young man had finally kissed his girlfriend. Her best friend didn't know and she was worried about her friend. 

"What're you doing up Keitaro?" she asked with her best cute voice. 

"I can't sleep, really. Reading manga then?" he asked. 

"I really can't sleep much either. I kinda hoped that reading would put me to sleep. Usually, it does. How about you? How would you get to sleep?" she asked, curiously. It was interesting to her how Keitaro was. It was the little things he did that amazed and impressed her. She imagined that her real boyfriend would hold her hand, kiss her quickly before going to class, and drink tea with her. She imagined dates being trips to the tea house (though not the Hinata tea house), trips to the zoo, or maybe even just a walk in the park. She never expected beautiful rings, bouquets, or a cruise around the world. 

"Me? Well, usually, I'd just walk around until I get tired. Doesn't really make sense. But, I usually find time to think doing that," he answered cheerfully. He wasn't tired at all. Most nights, he would walk around and he'd suddenly fall asleep as soon as he got into his room. He'd been walking around all night. His thoughts rummaged around looking for reason in what had happened that day. "_Maybe I should tell her that instead. Then probably jump off a bridge and kill myself. But with my luck, I'll probably just hit the bottom of a canyon and come out with a scar or something. I doubt falling straight down is going to be any less painful than falling out of the sky,_" he joked with himself. It was a stupid thought, and one that he should not have thought. He kept the words of his mind inside him and did not want to say anything at all. 

"So, you feel like talking? Or maybe you wanted to watch me sleep?" Naru queries slyly. Her face was scrunched up in her normal, teasing face. She acted so cute just for him. 

"Huh? What? I d – don't… what I mean is… I," Keitaro bumbled about with his words not knowing what to say, "I really just wanted to talk." He spoke firmly but with a kind face. He did not know what exactly to say at this moment. So he felt he had to walk into this blind. 

"Okay then, why don't you come up here? I'm sure you'd like to sit down and stead of standing up on that table of yours," she said as she sat down on her futon. She had never intentionally let Keitaro into her room and allow him to sit next to her. It wasn't at all weird in her head. She felt that her feelings were stable enough to let him at least sit in her room. She didn't want to send him away, though. She couldn't think of a better place to put him. 

"O - Okay," was all he could mutter. "_I don't get it. She's leaving room on her futon for me. What does that mean? Does that mean she wants to make out? AHH! No, wait, I can't think that. But maybe she just wants to get close to me. Maybe she'd want to look out the window together. That would be so awesome! We could hold hands, too!_" Keitaro seemed overjoyed at all of this. Internally, he sugarcoated walking up to her and sitting down. He imagined walking right up to her in a cool fashion with a beautiful stare into her eyes. As she sat there, she stared into his eyes, unable to look at anything or else. 

"So, what'd you come up here to talk about?" she asked in a low voice. Keitaro's mind suddenly went blank. Though, he almost expected it to; he had no idea what to talk about. 

"Actually, I was just thinking. You want to do some stargazing?" he asked. "_Geez, that was so lame. That was so dumb!_" he thought, feeling the need to degrade himself. 

"Sure, I like looking at the stars. And it's such a beautiful night out," Naru said to him. She acted so cute and innocent. Though she could never be completely that, she could get very close. 

The two of them stood and walked to the balcony. Naru leaned out and breathed in the evening air. Keitaro stood to her right staring out into the sky. It was so peaceful and calm. Maybe it had something to do with Naru. If he wanted to know, he couldn't. Whatever made this night special made him happy. 

"_She looks so beautiful. She looks twice as beautiful in the daytime, though. I wonder if she'll listen to me if I tell her,_"he thought. She seemed completely out of it. She seemed to tune him out. Though she was not an avid stargazer, she did love the night and it was a beautiful time for her. 

"_Everything is so nice. He's incredibly nice. He's so cute, just standing there. If he had the Liddo doll on his head, I could just die,_" she giggled internally. Her eyes were on the sky, but her head was stuck on Keitaro. She began to inch up to him, slowly. She began to feel incredibly brave. With everything that happened that day, she didn't even notice what she was doing. In a matter of minutes, though, she was right next to him, her shoulder and bare arms, slightly touching his. She wore a white cotton tank top with soft, white shorts. "_Holy crap, she's touching me. She looks so hot. I love it when she wears that. It's definitely not as chaste as what she was wearing this morning,_" he thought. He couldn't help thinking that this time was perfect. He, though he didn't want to mess this up, wanted to just take her hand. Maybe, with little pain, he could actually do it. 

"_He's so cute. Maybe I could…_" and she took his hand. Her fingers snuck into the spaces between his. Her hands clasped around his, she leaned her head on his shoulder. The two little antennae of her hair brushed up against his face. Keitaro flinched a little at the sudden action. He was so startled by her touch. The warmth that accompanied it made him feel like he could fly. It was a simple touch that did so much for him. 

"_I think I should actually do this,_" he supposed. He leaned his head on hers, as she closed her eyes. Turning down to face her, she opened her eyes slowly, knowing he was there. His lips inched slowly to hers. Staring into his eyes, she felt at peace and yet incredibly troubled. She knew what was going to happen, and she wasn't sure if she could go with this. 

"_Oh no, it has to be it. This is going to be _it. _I can't…_" but her thought was cut off. Every little bit of her was thoroughly engrossed in something else. She felt incredible quickly and completely. Her body became completely relaxed. Every single muscle in her body turned to jelly. With what she had left, she moved to her futon and was laid down. She, though she no longer could feel anything in her body, could feel extreme passion within her heart. She laid there, eyes closed, feeling every bit of nothing around her and every bit of unknown inside. Nothing could have interrupted the moment. 

"_This is really it. I'm actually…_" just as her thoughts went away, his did as well. He couldn't understand what was going on. Things like this never happened before. It had never felt this special and wonderful. Though he was already accustomed to it, he had never felt this way before. It was complete and beautiful. 

But just as quickly as it had come, Naru's mind suddenly clicked. "_Holy crap! What am I doing?_" She quickly pushed Keitaro off of her. He made a little scream as he tumbled off. He tried to gain composure and stand but Naru was up before him. 

"Get out of my room," she whispered with tears. She lightly pushed him backwards as he tried to stand. His incomplete balance sent him back into the entranceway from where he came. Disappearing completely down it, he landed on the table below. 

"Naru," he whispered as he sat up on the table. He stared up as he heard soft sobs coming from above. The plywood board did not slide back. 

Keitaro stood up slowly and walked out of his room. 

- ~ -

Kitsune stayed up unusually late. She had a horrible trouble getting to sleep. It was unusual for her to be up this late. She knew she fell asleep with Haruka earlier, but she had no idea how she had gotten into her room. Attempts at sleeping were met with failure and an extension of the building insomnia. 

But as a surprise for her, she heard a loud noise in her neighbor's room. Curiosity struck her, as it usually did. Desiring to know more, a little spy adventure ensued to her friend's room. But as soon as she entered the hall, Keitaro was in her view.

"Good evening," she said rather brightly. Her perkiness, as cute as it was, was met with a sad face. She knew that face so well and it was just as painful as it always was. She looked into his eyes for a moment and tried to discern what had happened. However, the large crash gave away most of what could have happened. Thoughts drifted to and fro and Kitsune realized that they had been standing there in an awkward silence for a little while now. "Why don't you take a seat in here?" she offered him. 

Keitaro took a seat in front of her futon. She seemed to be drinking a little to perhaps get to sleep. Perhaps trying to get to sleep with alcohol was a wonderful event for her. He ignored it as she approached him as she closed the door and turned on a dim lamp next to the futon.

"So, what did you do to her?" she asked, bluntly. She took two cans of Caffeine Free Coke out of the mini-fridge in her room. She handed one to Keitaro as she opened hers. Staring at it, he felt a little bit appreciated, suddenly. A noise of a click from a soda can brought him back into the world. Kitsune was already guzzling down her drink. "Do you not want to talk about it?" she asked kindly.

"Oh, well…" he faded away. Getting the nerve to try and tell her was so difficult. He had kissed Kitsune before and his certainty of the outcome couldn't exist. He was scared to tell her that he had already kissed another girl in the same day. And the fear grew inside started to become larger and larger. But he felt a soft touch on his hand and a kind gaze from the girl across from him. "You can tell me. I can take it," she said calmly. Keitaro nodded his head.

"I kissed her," he said sheepishly. Kitsune gave no immediate reaction. She simply looked at him waiting for more. Trying to find more words, Keitaro tried to go on.

"We made out, really. We were lying on top of each other. But I think she got startled and then she pushed me out," he said with more manliness in his voice. Kitsune nodded slowly, as if she couldn't make sense of what had happened.

"_Wow, he had the guts to do that? I guess I pushed him over that edge,_" she thought. "So, if I could ask, how did it happen?" she asked him. She hoped for a very romantic answer. She hoped that what happened would have been preceded by something out of a manga. As she listened to Keitaro tell about the stargazing, the touch, the gaze, and the walk, she felt worse about what she had done to him earlier. He wouldn't have actually kissed Naru if she hadn't kissed him first and told him to go with Naru. Worse, she felt sad because he talked about the kiss as if it was the greatest thing in the universe. Perhaps twelve hours ago, Keitaro was beneath her body and was kissing her. The unique feeling of his kiss had been nothing to him when it was with her, but everything with Naru.

"_What do I mean to him? Does he even remember that we kissed? Does he even remember that I love him? What the hell do I mean?_" she asked her self over and over what the kiss could have meant. He talked about how her warm lips touched his and how he felt the world fall away from them. "_And he didn't feel that with me?_" He continued on about how her touch was everything. "_And we were naked! Didn't that mean anything to you? I let you see me completely nude. What was my touch supposed to be to you?_" Every single word that came out of his mouth felt like a pike diving into her heart.

She struggled to hold back tears from him. She hated this piercing in her heart. She felt every little bit of destruction in every inch of her mind. She felt her world drop away from beneath her. It was as if she was falling free into a darkened world. She heard every word and it made her fall faster and faster.

She felt her pain inside increase and Keitaro began to notice her eyes in the dim lighting. He stopped talking hoping that Kitsune's consciousness would come back. But she could only blink her eyes, trying to hold back as many tears as possible. "_Oh my gosh. I knew I shouldn't have told her. What've I done? I thought she could handle this but. I can't do anything now. I have to figure out what to do,_" he thought. He didn't notice until now that Kitsune was sitting very close to him. And suddenly, that was a position he did not want to be in. A hand crept up his chest and grazed his face. It was such a smooth touch that Keitaro did not stop.

Kistune couldn't take it anymore; the tears could no longer be held back. She let loose the dams inside her eyes and water streamed away from her eyes. She slowly inched her face closer to Keitaro's. Her hand, still on his cheek was coming closer as well. If she didn't know any better, he was moving as well.

_ "I hate you, Keitaro. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!_" she screamed internally. But with every scream, she came closer to him, unable to move away. She placed another hand on his face and drew in closer to him, faster. As soon as she was barely an inch from him, she felt hands on her body. There were those hands that grabbed her shoulders and laid her down on the futon. There was the weight of a human body on top of hers. And there was the soft embrace of the lips.

She kissed him so softly that he could barely tell if she was kissing back at all. Hoping that he would not mess this up, he kissed back just as softly. It was almost programmed into him. Kitsune could feel the hands exploring her back and neck. The hands roamed around her back like a good massage. And those same hands, intruded under the back of her shirt. And she didn't stop him.

He felt his increased passion for her envelop him. He kissed her like a man, not a simple boyfriend, could. And he felt the need to be comforting her for something he had done. His apology came from a tongue entering her mouth.

She returned his attention by sneaking a hand into his shirt and massaging his back. She gave him her best French kiss. And every bit of love that she wanted to give him, she put into the kiss. A powerful feeling overwhelmed her reasoning of what was happening. She knew what she was doing was wrong for him, herself, and Naru. And she didn't care at all. She had the man, now. He was now her property. She was kissing him and he was kissing back.

Keitaro no longer cared about what was going on. He had Kitsune on his mind and she wouldn't leave. His kiss became increasingly forceful and powerful. Though there was strength behind it, he wanted her to feel an extreme passion. He wanted her to feel extreme love.

Kitsune felt that she had won the man. She had an incredible victory. And now, she was sharing the most incredible kiss of her life with the man of her dreams.

However, her mind suddenly came back to her. Realizing what she was doing, she let go of his tongue and broke the kiss. Still underneath him, she looked at him lovingly.

"I don't want to hurt my best friend," she said to him softly. She couldn't smile for him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered back.

"You already did. And you can't take it back," she came back at him. She didn't want to forgive him for what he did. She loved him but she knew that as much as he loved kissing her, Naru would always be his one and only. She tried so hard to give him so much love, but she didn't want it. It wouldn't be right to take what she didn't deserve.

"I love you, Kei. I just want you to remember that. And if she doesn't, I want you to come back to me. I don't want you to forget that. Remember that I ever said that to you," she admitted.

"I don't want you to sound like a back up plan," he said.

"Too bad. I want to be because Naru loves you more than I do. And she's the one that deserves your heart," she whispered. She didn't cry at her own words. She knew what she said was truthful and loving. She knew she couldn't rightfully make Keitaro happy. But she couldn't smile for him. She tried to make her face and words mean the same thing. But, she couldn't do it.

"I want you to get out of my room. Just go, get out of here," she told him. She kept crying and couldn't stop.

"Will we still be friends after this?" he asked her. He was incredibly worried about her. He, though he wanted to be with Naru, didn't want Kitsune to be alone.

"Of course we will," she said, giving him what could be a last kiss. "You just have to keep it that way. Now leave," She tried her best to smile, as difficult as it was. She tried to get rid of him, but she couldn't bring herself to push him out. She couldn't smile. She couldn't even fake happiness.

With whatever strength she had left in her, she managed to push him off. Keitaro landed on the floor with a very soft landing. Rejected again, he returned to his room where he noticed the hole was still not covered up. Sobs could be heard, but it wasn't from above him. Lying down, Keitaro tried not to pay attention and fell asleep instantaneously.

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: For some reason, I still like chapter 2 more. ::shrug:: I'm having a little difficulty trying to stay in character, since this is something none of them have actually done. I hope you liked it... I don't know how much longer I can keep this up! ~SSol


	5. 05: Wisdom of Youth

Hello everyone. I know it's taken me _such _a long time to finish this chapter. However, I've been in school and I've been working really hard. I've had a lot of stuff to do recently. Too much homework for the first week or so. Anyway, school has been slowing me down a lot. I go to an art school for piano so I have that to work with, too. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is: I'm sorry... I'll try and work as fast as I can!

And, as always, there is no 0wn4g3 of Love Hina for me. I really would like to, but I think it's against the law...

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning  
05 – Wisdom of Youth  
SethSolare 

A soothing breeze entered Naru's room in the morning. In the occurrences of last night, she left her door and window open. A few leaves lied in haphazard pattern around her room. The beautiful summer breeze smelled just as beautiful as it did for the years she spent in the Hinata Sou. Today was no different from any other day. However, the scent seemed different. Instead of standing, she was laying down on her futon, staring at her ceiling. A wonderful feeling of peace washed over her. Through the early morning breezes, she heard rustling below her. Many times, the sounds were a kind and comforting awakening. The pure thought of being awoken by another person thrilled the mind. For Naru, it was very beautiful and romantic. However, among the confusion created by the day before, she would rather not have heard him cleaning his room. 

Keitaro paced around his room, randomly moving objects from one end to another with no real purpose. Morning activities kept the mind active. And for the first few minutes of the morning, he couldn't stop thinking of Naru. And yet, his mind couldn't forget Kitsune either. Confusion cut through his mind and he had no ability to think correctly. Cleaning aimlessly was his only outlet. When his room was finally disorganized, the thoughtless cleaning leaked out onto the dormitory. He began cleaning the windows and floors. Though the cleaning was needed, the actual cleanliness of the dormitory was not very different from what it was earlier. He didn't seem to notice what was being mopped, polished, or dusted. Only a goal had to be attained, no matter how poorly it was done. 

As all of this went on, everyone else in the house noticed the great deal of emotion flowing from Keitaro and Naru. And as always, everyone would plan her own little scheme to get the two talking again. Usually, Kitsune was the brains of the group plan. However, she lived off in her own little world. She sat in her room writing in a little book she had kept by her bed. Many of the tenants knew she kept that little book and knew how important it was to her. Her diary was, like Naru's, was the most important and most precious thing she had. However, unlike Naru's diary, she had no pictures of Keitaro in it. Most of her diary was filled with words of longing. She wished multiple times that Keitaro would fall in love with her. As much as she wanted it, she would never be able to have him. She struggled to keep herself sane and happy watching him fall in love with Naru. 

The dormitory remained unusually quiet, with all the activity Keitaro had going on. Shinobu kept to her chores as usual. In her early morning work, she had already done the laundry and was out doing the drying. She wasn't overly curious of the personal lives of her friends. Curiosity set in about Keitaro and Naru. Mainly, it arose from Naru's side. Shinobu thought she really knew what Naru thought, but she had a feeling that she could be wrong. Feeling worried, she couldn't help but continue smoothing out wrinkles from the clothes and hanging them thoughtlessly. It was a built in process for her. 

Motoko walked up behind Shinobu quietly. Dressed in a new white tank top and jeans, she started helping Shinobu with the clothes. For the most part, her clothes came up first. The red tank top she wore yesterday was already hanging there. She fell in love with that shirt. In actuality, it was a shirt she had bought around the time her crush on Keitaro developed. Like everyone else, she wondered what would have happened if he would have fallen in love with someone other than Naru. Staring at the sea from the rooftop was a beautiful, wonderful thing to do in the mornings. In the afternoon, when it was time for a practice session, it wouldn't sparkle the same way. As much as Keitaro was incredible to her sometimes, he would change just for Naru. All that thought depressed Motoko, and she continued hanging clothes. 

Su and Sarah stayed inside hanging around inside. The two of them worked on a new invention that had no practical purpose. Su carefully constructed a new machine that would peel bananas automatically. Her latest, completed invention was a simple computer. It had a single program on it that acted as a little matchmaker. One could enter their information and the information of another individual. She had no idea what to do with the invention, but it sat in her room and collected moss. 

Mutsumi walked up the steps to the Hinata Sou. Though she had never really decided to go there that day, she walked by and hoped for some company. Her own place was boring. Haruka, who was quite tired, gave Mutsumi the day off. She, like many times, could sense her friends and their turmoil. It was some kind of intuition she had in her head. It was a strong feeling this time. It was this feeling in her stomach that had her feet climbing the steps. 

Naru couldn't understand why she felt that way. It really hurt to hear Keitaro clean all the third-floor windows. It annoyed her, almost. With everything that happened, she couldn't stand to hear him; seeing him was worse. After some saddening thoughts, Keitaro appeared in front of her window. Instead of cleaning up the window, though, he rolled right onto Naru's floor. 

"_I have to get out of here. I just have to. I _have _to go._" Immediately, she jumped down into the hole in her room and vanished away to the hot spring. 

"_I wonder what she's thinking. I wish I knew,_" Keitaro thought. 

- ~ - 

Naru slid open the door to the open-air baths. Sighing, she walked out to the baths and released the towel surrounding her. Taking the towel with her, she stepped into the hot spring. The towel lay on the ground as a headrest, all folded up. Feeling the warmth envelop her, she sat with her head back. A stare at the sky was followed by a stare into her eyelids.

"_What exactly is his problem, anyway?_" she thought. Heavy thoughts roamed around her mind. She couldn't peel herself away from these things going on around her. It was a horrible feeling for her. And yet, "_It's all his fault_." 

"_How could he even do that to me? He took complete advantage of me! There I was, all vulnerable and everything! And he… he…_" and suddenly it was as if her thoughts went away completely. She tightly wrapped her arms around her body. 

"_I don't understand it. I can't stand to be without him but I can't let him actually kiss me and let him go. I have to beat him up every time. I can't help this stupidity,_" she thought. She curled her legs up against her. 

"_My heart pounded and I could feel his heart beat for me. But what the hell did I do? Why did I do that to him? I can't believe that this happened,_" she went on. Tears started coming down her face again. She couldn't remember when she had cried this much in such a short amount of time. She couldn't believe that she had all these emotions flying everywhere. She never felt all these things blaze through her. The feeling was like a slow death. A horrible feeling of torture washed over her. 

"_How could I do that to him? What happened to me? I wish it was so easy to lo-_" 

"Naru!" Su shouted at the top of her lungs. Naru almost flew out of the hot spring as she heard the voice explode from behind her. Her thoughts interrupted, she shifted her attention to the other girls. The distraction created a way for her to forget about her current thoughts and just relax. Find peace in the others, she moved around the hot spring's edge with her towel. "Hi everyone. Good morning," she said cheerfully. 

The others climbed into the spring one at a time, all surrounding Naru. To the right of Naru, there was Sarah, Su, and Motoko. Shinobu, Kitsune, and Mutsumi were to her left. Naru looked around at the other girls and saw how content they were. None of them knew what was going on in her head and what it felt like. "_None of them would ever know. They would never completely deny their feelings for Keitaro. Even Motoko wouldn't. And Kitsune, even though she messes around with him sometimes, she still cares for him. He's a friend to her. But Keitaro would never give Kitsune what he would give me. But if he did, Kitsune would accept it immediately. I know she would. Me? I can't do anything!_" 

"You seem troubled, Narusegawa," Motoko said, knowing exactly what was going on. As she pointed that out, everyone seemed to notice the turmoil spread across Naru's face. Suddenly, that feeling got worse. A horrible well of emotions began to gurgle inside of her. "What do you mean?" she said nervously. 

"You don't look too good Naru. Did you eat too much?" Su piped up. Naru's face went red a little. She had eaten a lot of chocolate on the way out to the spring. "I… no. I'm just fine." Her cheery voice didn't seem to be very effective with all the nervousness behind it. "I guess I've just been soaking here for too long." 

"I doubt that's really it," Motoko jumped in. Naru tried to get out of there as fast as she could but she was already trapped and surrounded by the girls. "I've tried to be nice to you Narusegawa. I tried to help you. But you slapped my hand away," Motoko spoke, seemingly irritated. 

"I don't think my personal life is any of your business, Motoko," and the girls all backed up a little, except for Motoko. 

"Don't you think you should calm down a little Naru?" Mutsumi added. 

"I don't think this will go as well as we wanted it to," Shinobu whispered to herself. 

"Any of my business? Do you realize what kind of disturbance you bring into our home? If this continues, misfortunes and bad karma will fester around us. Do you understand?" Motoko's sword was ready at her hand. 

"What? What the hell is that supposed to mean? If I keep telling you that there's nothing wrong, evil spirits will invade our house?" Naru asked, her voice increasing in volume and tension. Obviously not pleased, Motoko seemed to be ready to take an offensive. The other girls had seemingly backed off significantly. 

"We shouldn't be doing this!" Shinobu shouted. Though the tension was bad, she didn't want people in the house fighting, she never liked that. But, Naru ignored her. 

"If it would make everyone happy, why don't I just not even acknowledge his existence?" Naru's voice was already a scream. At this point, even Motoko started to back away just a little. Of course, Naru never saw the attack coming. 

Su ran right up to Naru and gave her big, however playful, slap to the face. In an amount of disbelief, Naru fell to the floor. It wasn't the power of a weak slap but she felt like she couldn't move her legs anymore. She felt weak and tired. Though she knew Su would never really hit anyone, it felt real and painful. "Su?" Naru whispered. 

Su giggled a little bit, "I thought it would be a nice touch." No one around her understood what she meant. Su gave a little shrug, "It looks a lot like stuff you'd see on daytime television. This is the part where the two girls are fighting and then they starting slapping each other," and then Su ran over to slap Motoko. She barely flinched, even though hers was much stronger. As odd as it was, Naru paid attention to every word Su said. 

"It's like, the guy and the girl are at ends. And everyone likes him and everything. But the girl really likes him. And the other girls just like him. And then the other girl fights the first girl and then one of them loses. And after one of them loses, they get the guy. But the girl doesn't know what's going on and she's all messed up. I saw an episode of that a couple days ago. I was recording it for Motoko!" The whole narrative seemed boring and stupid to normal people. But for the residents at Hinata, it was an accurate description of everything that happened. Everyone was almost awestruck at the odd intelligence of Su. 

"_If only _I_ had slapped Naru,_" Kitsune thought. She sat down, facing away from the group. She felt a horrible feeling exploding within her. She felt sick and half-dead. 

"Everyone? Where did Naru go?" Mutsumi asked. Everyone's attention suddenly changed from Su to the place where Naru was sitting before. 

- ~ - 

Naru ran down the steps of the dormitory as fast as she could. Dressed in her yellow tank top and that brown skirt of hers, she wouldn't stop until she got to the bottom of the steps. Even then, she could have just kept on running.

"_What the hell? She slapped me! This stuff is becoming a huge problem for everybody,_" she thought. The simple action Su took was more than enough to shake Naru from her tiny zone of comfort.

Naru continued down the steps as fast as she could. However, a look to the left brought Haruka into view. She stared at Naru as she looked up from sweeping at the top of the steps of the teahouse. Letting her cigarette drop to the ground, she motioned for Naru to walk in. Watching as the curtains to the place swished behind Haruka, she decided that she would go in. "_I guess tea wouldn't be so bad._" She walked in as Haruka was pouring tea into a second cup.

"What's up?" Haruka asked plainly. She took out a pack of cigarettes and lit up another one. "You were running pretty fast."

Naru remained silent. To the one person who would listen to anything, the number one psychologist for the Hinata Sou, Naru said nothing to her. She didn't know what to say at all. "_What can I possibly say to her? 'Nothing happening, I'm just running away from my friends and the man of… well, whatever he is._"

"Why don't you tell me? You always can, you know?" she said. Haruka knew, instinctively, what was going on with the entire residence. With everything going on between Keitaro and Kitsune, she could easily guess Naru's problems. "You can tell your Aunt anything."

She decided that it would be best to let the words flow. Naru began, "I don't know exactly. I guess I can't understand why I can't tell Kei how I feel, or anyone."

"You can tell me. You have once before," Haruka responded.

"I don't understand. I want to say it, but it's so difficult. I can't even tell the others. I can't even tell _Kitsune_," Naru went on. Internally, she didn't really want to tell Kitsune. And yet, it was difficult to try and tell her. She didn't even know why she struggled to tell Kitsune.

"You think it has something to do with Kei?" Haruka asked. Understanding Naru was a great task. However, she guessed how Naru felt and how she thought. It would almost be easy, if she were right.

"I don't know. It might. But it might be about me. I mean, it's just like a daytime television show or something," Naru said. The things that Su said really hit Naru. It felt painful to hear them. However, she had no idea why it was like that. There was no way to explain why the feeling of the need for everything to be some kind of drama production was needed. Naru felt that it was very strange to live the life of some drama queen.

"Really? Maybe it's because you want everything to be so perfect like it is in the movies," Haruka said plainly. Naru's mind already heard that once. It was bad enough to hear it from Haruka. However, she didn't want to hear it first from Su, someone who was too childish to really understand love. "_Does everyone think that?"_ she asked herself.

"What you have to realize is that movies are perfect. Everything turns out the way it should. The guy gets the girl, no questions asked. However, things change, little by little in the real world. The guy's affection could change suddenly one day. Where would you be then?" Haruka asked her. Haruka wished she had known all of that before. Maybe back then, it wouldn't have been so difficult. She had been a bit like Naru back then. Wanting the guy and hating him at the same time were a constant dilemma. And yet, he kept coming back, over and over again.

"I want him to tell me, you know?" Naru said.

"I thought he did. Several times, I believe. I don't think you've _ever _given him a clear answer," Haruka said. Naru didn't want to believe those words. But she knew her "aunt" was right. This was always something that struck Naru. Haruka was Keitaro's aunt. More than anyone, she felt closest to Haruka. She often saw her as a favorite-aunt figure in her life. Naru never even believed that he was truthful. He had always been such a pervert right after he said such things. It was hard to believe him sometimes. But she did.

"You're the girl that never told him. And now, he'll be leaving very soon. I forget what movie that is. But the guy leaves the girl in search of his dreams. Now, here's where the story is different. She tells him in the end. If he passes that test, you've got until Sunday morning," Haruka said. "Is that what's bothering you? He's leaving?"

Naru said nothing. For the second time with Haruka, she didn't know what to say. "_I have no idea why I can't tell him! What's wrong with me!_"

"Maybe you just want to create drama for yourself," Haruka continued.

"_No, that can't be it._"

"Maybe you just want him to be your friend forever."

"_No, that's not it either._"

"Or maybe you're just scared."

"_Maybe…_"

"Or maybe you don't want your world to change. You're afraid of growing up and finding real love in someone else. You're just afraid to feel the things you should be feeling."

Naru remained quiet. Her mind blank, she sipped her tea quietly. She didn't understand what made her believe that it was right. Maybe she didn't want to be a person in a mature relationship. Maybe she didn't want to grow up and be this person for Keitaro.

"You need to understand, Naru. Growing up doesn't just mean going to college, being smarter, and _looking _older. It also means falling in love, feeling more, and understanding more. I understand you're physically strong. But you're heart is incredibly weak, Naru. You almost have no ability to love someone."

Those words attacked Naru's heart like a million needles within. It was a painful realization. It was suddenly something she had never felt before. Filling her mind with ache, these words could bring her to her knees. It was a feeling of death.

"You need to become older, Naru. You need to grow up and love, as an adult should. If you don't, you'll regret that you never did," Haruka told her. She let hand rest on Naru's head. "I wish I had done that. I wish I didn't have to regret what I did." Haruka lifted Naru's head up to face her. Looking her in the eye smiling a little, she told her: "Don't do what I did. Don't be me."

Naru stayed silent. She didn't know what to say, still. Painful words followed by words of encouragement. Naru knew what was hurting her immensely. And now she needed to follow Haruka's advice. However, she didn't know what to do.

"What should I do then?" Naru finally asked.

"Just tell him. Find some time and tell him. He's been working hard all day so I'm sure he'd like a break," Haruka told her.

"What should I tell him, then?" Naru asked.

"Keitaro is the most important person in your life. I'm sure that when the time comes, you can tell him. The words will come to you; I'm sure of it," Haruka encouraged her.

"I guess," was all Naru could say. She took the last sip of tea as she finally set her mind on the last bit of her childhood that was about to leave her. Her foolish inability to say three simple words was gone. Replaced by courage, Naru thanked Haruka for the tea as she left to find Keitaro.

Left there, Haruka cleaned up the little cups. As she washed the cups, she noticed a figure with her in the kitchen. Realizing that this person heard the entire conversation, she hoped it would not be one of the girls. Approaching her, the person spoke, "So, is she really going to tell him then?" Kitsune walked up to Haruka, giving her a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"I suppose she would," she responded. She had no idea what to tell the girl. It wasn't a good sign for Kitsune to be here listening to the conversation. Haruka had become nervous rather quickly, something that usually never happens.

"I hope she gets him then." Kitsune said as she turned and walked away. She exited out the back door in the kitchen. Haruka was left standing there, not knowing what to say. "_I hope I did the right thing,_" she thought to herself.

Kitsune continued walking deeper into the forest surrounding the dormitory. She heard the entire conversation. Hearing the determination in Naru's voice was a bad feeling for her. She no longer knew what to do. She knew, at that very moment, she lost the man she loved to her best friend. She realized that it was over. She understood that love, for her, had left her. Finally, she dropped to her knees and cried.

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: Okay, like I said before, I'm sorry it has taken such a long time. Secondly, if you heard the song, chapter 4 was where the lyrics of that song are important. If you can't understand how I used it, I can explain it in my last chapter in this little section. Anyway, I'm trying very hard to get this stuff moving. It's kinda hard because I don't have a lot of time to collect my thoughts. Whenever I have time to write, I try to just blaze through it, getting things in and all that. I hoped you all liked this chapter... I still personally think that chapter 2 and 4 are my best... but... I do love any of my scenes with Haruka. So this chapter is really good! Like always, I'd love to hear from you.


	6. 06: Learning to Live

I want to tell all of you that this is a long chapter! My longest so far! Among my favorite chapters, this has to be way up there with chapter 2. So, I hope all of you like reading it. But, as I said last time, I'm UBER SORRY for keeping all of you waiting. I've been really really really busy with school work. Seth's been up to his eyelashes in homework. So, between this and research papers (actually just one for now...) I've been uber busy (CALCULUS IS HARD!!!). Thanks eveyone!

And, as always, there is no 0wn4g3 of Love Hina for me. I really would like to, but I think it's against the law...

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning  
06 – Learning to Live  
SethSolare 

Keitaro had been waiting for the phone to ring since Friday morning. Originally, the test results for the expedition to America were to be released that Friday. As he sat by the phone, reading an English language book. Wearing his green t-shirt and his khaki pants, he stared aimlessly at that book. Caring very little for the words, he read as if his mind were on automatic. In front of him, Naru paced back and forth waiting for the results as well.

"_It's Sunday already. I've been given two extra days of time,_" she thought. "_He should have left for America, by now. I don't even know why I'm waiting for the phone call with him. What am I doing here?_" she asked herself. 

Though he stared at the book, his peripheral vision saw Naru pacing back and forth in front of him. For him, the thought of telling her scared the life out of him. And though he thought now, as there was nothing to do, would be a good time to say what he needed to say, he realized that the phone would interrupt. He believed it to be stupid to try and tell her his true feelings. 

"_What am I supposed to do? She's never given me a good enough answer. What will telling her again do for me?_" he asked himself. It was incredibly difficult to tell her the first few times. It was hard for him to feel like he had a chance with her still. And unlike the other times, she already has had time to think about an answer. The overwhelming feeling of despair ran through him painfully. 

"_And I don't care how much it hurts me. I'd rather be with her than anyone,_" he thought. Though it was incredibly difficult to admit, he loved her more than anyone. He couldn't understand why it was so difficult for her even though he had said it so many other times. He wished that she would feel half of what he felt for her. 

As the pair continued to wait, another person waited at the top of the stairs. As she waited, she read a new manga she bought two days ago. Kitsune read on about the couple that seemed like she and Keitaro. It was so unimaginable that she could not love him more. And though she didn't want to, she tried very hard to accept it. She tried very hard to keep her mind off it, though.

"_I should ask Naru for the next one. I think she bought it last week,_" she thought. She closed the book and stared at the couple downstairs as they waited. 

"Keitaro?" Naru said faintly. 

"Huh? What is it Naru?" Keitaro responded, however nervous he was. 

"I wanted to know," she stopped. Her mind raced for words. She couldn't force the words out of her mouth at all, "do you love," and she stopped. Trying harder, the words came up from her lungs, "your work?" In the end, she couldn't say what she needed to say. 

"_Holy crap! That was close. I wouldn't know what to say if she asked _that. _I wish she would have just said it,_" he told himself. He tried to get to a feeling of normality like he always did. "Of course I do. I think excavation is the coolest thing. It's always an adventure for me, you know? It's always surprising and new. You have to have a lot patience and you need to have other people with you. You have to put a lot of energy into it. But I guess, if you do all that, you'll always be rewarded. Even if you don't actually get something, the adventure is what makes it fun." 

"_It sounds like I'll be some kind of secondary thing in his life. It's like his work will come first. It's like he'll always have some childish attachment to excavation,_" Naru thought to herself. 

"_I sound just like Seta. It's a little scary, really. I wonder if I might turn into that guy one day,_" Keitaro's mind drifted away from the situation and imagined a life like Seta's. In his mind, it would be waking up in the morning anytime he wanted. He would dig up new things everyday. Surrounded by books, he could study the civilizations of the world. "_But, Seta's not completely happy, is he? What about Haruka?_" 

Keitaro's mind continued to wander about. He thought about how that simple factor might change his mind completely. Seta lost the girl he wanted to have. "_What about Naru?_" he asked himself. What would happen if he had to live on without the girl of his dreams? "_What about… Kitsune?_" But that thought was interrupted. 

"Hello? Can I ask who's calling?" Shinobu spoke into the phone. 

- ~ - 

Kitsune paced around her room curious if that phone call meant what it was supposed to mean. She tried hard not to think about what Naru told Keitaro. As soon as she said the word "love," Kitsune knew she couldn't hear the rest. The words would've torn the girl open. The simple thought of it, however, had Kitsune crying alone in her room. The door closed, she breathed in loudly as the tears flowed. 

"It was my fault to begin with. I told him to do it," she whispered to herself. Her words could not be contained within her. Her emotions could not be held inside either. 

"I wish it were different. How could I do that to myself? Why did I even tell him to do that? What's wrong with me?" she asked. She felt like she couldn't understand what made her do such a thing. From what Keitaro thought, she gave him up so completely. Yet, the more she tried to let go, the harder it got. 

"I want so much to love him. I want him to love me back. But I did the stupidest thing ever," the words were barely audible now. It was such a painful thought for her. She cried so much that her pillow had a wet stain of tears. 

"I don't know about you, but I would've done the same thing," a figure from behind her said. The door, now slightly ajar, held Motoko's face there. She smiled at Kitsune's scrunched up face. Kitsune's tears kept flowing but the breathing that accompanied it went away. 

"I didn't know you could hear me," Kitsune said, amazed. 

"I'm trained for hearing things better than most people. I could definitely hear you," Motoko responded. She felt quite sympathetic to Kitsune. Though the two of them had very little in common, the simple relationship of roommates always brought them close together. Motoko had changed over the past few months. She had become more of a woman and a student rather than a great warrior. She fought hard to change herself to become someone that was better than before. 

"You want to talk about it? Or do you want to just wallow?" Motoko asked her in a kind voice. "I understand that wallowing is a part of the healing process for a lot of people. I just wish you didn't do it this much." 

"Is that supposed to comfort me?" Kitsune asked her, angered. It sounded so horrible from someone like Motoko. It wasn't like her to show that kind of incredible concern for another. Kitsune's response seemed predictable to Motoko. She expected those words and that tone from someone so messed up inside. 

"I didn't mean for it to sound mean. I want you to be happy, Kitsune. You bring a lot of life into the house; you know that? Without that kind of happiness, it wouldn't be the same. With you acting like this, it certainly does change our home," Motoko spoke with a kind voice. Kitsune looked at Motoko with a softer glance. Unable to try and find concern in her voice, Kitsune hoped for Motoko to keep going. Motoko slid the door of the room open, walked in, and closed it. Sitting on the backless sofa under the window where Kitsune laid, she crossed her legs under her. 

"Kitsune, dealing with heartbreak is incredibly hard. In the end, though, it's just going to get worse and worse. As much as you love him, wanting him that much in this situation is not going to help you at all. Everyday will become a task for you," Motoko told her.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience, Motoko," Kitsune responded, now, with a little smile. Motoko suddenly lost her concentration. Afraid of admitting the truth, she sealed her mouth shut.

"I – I," Motoko stuttered and became silent again. Looking down at the ground, she went on. "I am. I kind of like him, too," Motoko said, eyes almost glazed over. It suddenly became an utter disturbance for her to be in that room. Motoko, though her feelings for Keitaro were still only blooming, couldn't stand to talk about her relationship with him.

"What do you like about him? I'm asking you seriously. We're talking girl-to-girl," Kitsune told her. Kitsune wondered what the response would be. Unaccustomed to talking about guys, Motoko tried to formulate words. Kitsune, however, seemed very understanding of Motoko's situation. And, even in her current emotional state, Kitsune tried to be very sympathetic to Motoko.

"I, um, I don't really know what it is. I just do, I guess," Motoko tried. For the first time, in a while, she really had a very strong sense of uncertainty in her voice.

"Can't you say more than that? If you want to pass the entrance exams, you're going to have to at least be able to read and understand. And, as I learned, a good way to read and understand is to speak for you and understand," Kitsune said. Honestly, she hadn't a clue as to what she actually meant by that. However, she knew Motoko was already too flustered to catch any of that.

"More than that? Well," Motoko tried to continue, "I like him because he's nice. He's very vigilant about the problems in the house. He works hard. He studies and is very intelligent for it," Motoko explained in a monotone voice, rather embarrassed. Blushing immensely, Motoko sat there, staring at the cute, blue slippers Kitsune kept in her room. Kitsune tried to understand those words. Nodding, she decided to give her own reasons.

"I like him for many of those same reasons. But, I think it's his ability to love completely and utterly is the most important thing, don't you think?" Kitsune asked her. Though she was unsure of what to respond with, Motoko nodded her head in understanding. "I love him, more than anything. I know you understand that. And as much as I do, Naru will always love him more. And I know she's making a hard choice, friends or boyfriend. I'm pretty sure she knows I like him. Best friends tend to have a weird connection like that," Kitsune went on. Motoko kept nodding, understanding the words that Kitsune told her.

"I don't think my feelings for him are as strong as yours. Besides, I don't think I have as much of a special bond with him as you do," Motoko told her. "I don't think I'll ever have that kind of bond with him," Motoko stared at that slipper as it blurred. Her vision, obstructed by tears, became so very horrible. Her crying became audible quickly. Motoko, unable to stop her weakness from showing, she curled up and lay on her side on Kitsune's little sofa. In front of Kitsune on the edge of the sofa, she felt a body come closer to hers.

"Go ahead and cry," Kitsune said in solace. "We should just take turns crying and comforting," Kitsune let out a little giggle, wiping away the last of her own tears. Holding onto Motoko tightly, arms wrapped around the girl, Kitsune rubbed Motoko's arm slowly. Motoko's horrible gasps for air with tears were rather unbearable. Feeling like her, Kitsune held her own tears back.

"I wish things were different. I wish he had never come here," Motoko whimpered out between breaths. Trying to comfort her, Kitsune propped herself up with her elbow and removed her arm from under Motoko. To ease the girl more, Kitsune played with Motoko's hair, running her hand through it and twirling it around her finger.

"You don't really want that, do you? You would've stayed the same old, warrior Motoko without him. In fact, you would've never known real love if you never met him," Kitsune reasoned with Motoko.

"I want to be with him. That would make me more than happy if I could," Motoko said, tears settling into a simple stream, now. Kitsune continued to play with Motoko's soft, black hair. The tank top Motoko was wearing was made of nice, thin cotton. "_If it weren't for him, she would've never worn this,_" Kitsune thought to herself.

Slowly rolling over to face the ceiling, Motoko had already stopped crying. Though she did stop, she was still breathing heavily. Entirely horrible, Motoko turned to face Kitsune completely. Through the whole time, Kitsune seemed to have grown quite attached to Motoko's soft hair and the soft contour of her waist and stomach. "_I guess all the training keeps her very fit_."

Motoko felt Kitsune's soft touch on her side. Still playing with her hair, Kitsune's hand stayed behind Motoko's head. The feeling of a friend was very comforting for Motoko. She had never had anyone hold her for comfort before. Her sister and parents always made her wait out the pain. They would tell her, "Eventually, it will go away." Motoko, for the first time ever, had felt real compassion from a friend. "_Kitsune's hands are very nice. She holds me like she would hold… him,_" she thought. Suddenly, Motoko became all flustered internally, but her face and features showed none of it.

Kitsune, holding Motoko's head in her hand, brought herself close to the younger girl. For the first time ever, Kitsune would have a different feeling. It wouldn't feel rough or forced. Though Motoko was stronger than any man, she had the wonderful figure of a woman. Kitsune couldn't help but to let go of all of her restraints. It was such an easy task because Motoko didn't even try to resist. As they were brought closer to each other, Kitsune felt her chest against Motoko's. "_Wow. That feels a little weird for me. Either way, there's no turning back now,_" Kitsune told herself. "_I can't believe this is happening. I can't stop myself. She's just so… close now,_"Motoko thought.

It felt like an incredible shock. Yet, the touch was so soft and loving. Motoko's lips, untouched by a man, were delicate and soft. Kitsune felt every movement of the other's lips and tongue. Kitsune ran her hands through the dark hair. Motoko couldn't help but do the same. Motoko rolled over on top of Kitsune feeling the softness of the kiss.

Kitsune, being quite experienced, slowly licked Motoko's closed lips, which opened slowly. Motoko felt Kitsune's kiss become even deeper than she had hoped. "_This is just incredible. She's such a great kisser!_" Motoko screamed at herself. She, by now, had completely forgotten about that boy. "_She's such a wonderful kisser. It's a wonder she hasn't actually kissed anyone,_" Kitsune boasted internally.

The two of them held onto each other for twenty minutes. They couldn't stop, no matter how hard they tried. However, "_Wait, I'm kissing a girl. This is _so _incredibly wrong for me. What am I doing? I have to get out of here!_" With great speed, Motoko peeled herself off of Kitsune, as difficult as it was. Scared out of her mind, Motoko bolted for the door. Sliding it open as fast as possible, she ran out and to the stairs. The door of Kitsune's room remained open

"I mess everything up," Kitsune whispered to herself, staring out of her window.

- ~ - 

Naru didn't know whether she was to be happy or sad. Though that excavation experience was his, he still had to leave. America was too far away for him to be. Unlike the other times he did heavy traveling, Naru couldn't go with him. Keitaro got only two days to pack everything he would need. That left Naru with two days to tell him the truth.

"_How am I going to do this? How can I tell him everything I feel? I'm not even sure I feel that way,_" she thought as she walked around her room. She had no ability to find help by thinking what she could do. It was hard for her to ask anyone else in that house. Everyone was so in love with Keitaro. Everyone knew what Keitaro felt about Naru. Yet, no one really knew what Naru felt for Keitaro.

"_What am I going to do Liddo?_" she asked her stuffed animal. Hoisting it in the air, she lay back and held it above her. She looked at the animal hoping for some kind of answer. Naturally, though, it said nothing. She looked at something that came from someone who loved the man she was in love with.

Sighing softly, she set Liddo aside and slid the board on her floor over. Without even looking in, she knew Keitaro was busy packing. The sounds of him opening and closing drawers were enough for her. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her head in the room. "Keitaro, are you really busy?"

"Kind of. I do need to pack and everything. But, I don't mind talking," Keitaro responded. He stared up at the beautiful girl in his ceiling. "_I can't believe I'll be leaving her here like this,_" he said to himself. Unable to look at her easily, he went back to packing. As he turned, Naru flipped down into his room.

"I was hoping just to talk a little. You're leaving and I wanted to just have a good conversation with you," Naru told him. She hoped that she would finally be able to tell him this time.

"Okay. Well, what do you want to talk about?" he asked her. He hadn't a single topic he could talk about with her. Right now, this trip was one of two things on his mind.

"Well, I was wondering how you were going to contact us when you get there," Naru realized how dumb that was. "_That's such a stupid thing to say. He's going write and send e-mails and call. How obvious is that?_"

"I guess I'll be able to send e-mails and call you guys when I'm over there. Though, I don't know how often I can. I'll be busy with work and studying. But other than that, I doubt I won't have anything to stop me from contacting everyone over here," he told her. He continued packing clothes for him to wear.

"Oh. Well, what exactly are you going to do while you're there?" she asked him. Feeling incredibly nervous, she grabbed one of the shirts on the floor and helped to fold them. She felt that helping him instead of doing nothing would be better for her nerves.

"Well, I'll be at the University of California studying archaeology. I kind of hoped to go on an actual excavation," he replied. Naru handed him a shirt that she folded. He smiled at her for the help and packed the shirt in the second suitcase.

"_He smiled at me! Holy crap, that's already way too much for me. What am I even doing here?_" she asked herself. Though she was scared, she stayed in the room helping Keitaro. "I'm sorry if I'm being really weird or something. It's just that you'll be gone for a while and we all really rely on you. You're part of our Hinata family. I'm just worried to death about you," Naru told him kindly. She tried her best to sound settled and calm.

"I'm kind of worried, too. I was stressed out during the English part in the Tokyo U exam. I don't really know how I can get along while I'm over there. Plus, I'm not too sure about studying in English. That might be weird. And, well, I'm worried I'm going to miss everyone here," he said with a smile. Looking at Naru, he took another shirt she folded. Staring back at him was too difficult for her. Trying to remain calm, Naru looked away before turning a deep red.

"I wish I had a chance like you do. I want to good with you, maybe," a huge smile crept across her face. Her own words had completely flustered, though. "Holy crap! Where'd that come from? It's not like I can go there. I mean, I doubt I can even pass that test," she blurted out, giggling a little. Unsettled by the things she was saying, she began to get incredibly nervous, and it showed in her actions. "_I'm acting like an idiot! I need to calm down. I just need to breathe a little._"

Keitaro noticed her uneasiness. "_Maybe she's just not too comfortable with herself. Maybe I should say something really nice about her!_" he told himself. "I don't think so. I think you'd do really well on that test. You basically taught me everything I needed to know for Tokyo U. And you helped me study for the test I amazingly passed. And since you helped me study, you probably learned something while you were helping me," he encouraged her. It made him happy that Naru actually, even for an instant, thought about going with him. If he could have anyone go with him, it would definitely be Naru. But, he would be lying if he said that she was the only person in all of Hinata he'd want to go with.

"Thanks, really. I don't think I'm really cut out to be an archaeologist, though. I would like to go with you just once. I'm sure we'd all like to go with you," Naru said. She was sure that everyone would give anything to be with Keitaro. "_I guess I should be happy. He wants to spend all of his time with me. But I doubt I can pull him away from the other love of his life. Love of his life? Did I just call myself that? What the hell? Why am I even _thinking _all of this?_" Her confusion continued as she sat there watching Keitaro finish packing the third and last of his bags.

"Anyway, Naru, what's the real reason you're down here?" he asked her as he slid the last of the suitcases by his door. Suddenly, Naru felt incredibly nervous. "_Gah! Where'd he get a silly idea like that? That's what I'll say!_" She felt like the adrenaline in her system would make her get a heart attack. "What do you mean? Where'd you get a silly idea like that?" she asked stuttering through it.

"I'm sure you're down here for more than just worry. Though, I am flattered that you are worried about me, Naru. But, I know that you have something else on your mind." Keitaro wasn't actually sure if he was right or not. He decided to act like he really knew something. "_I hope I'm not making a complete idiot out of myself right now._"

"I – I… well, I have nothing to really talk about. I just wanted to spend some extra time with you. You know, alone. Just the two of us, talking. That's something that would really mean a lot to me, Kei," she told him. "_DID I JUST CALL HIM KEI! HOLY CRAP! What's wrong with me?_"

"You haven't called me Kei before. But, uh, anyway, I'm glad you came down here to talk. I wish you could come with me, you know? I would really want to spend more time with you," Keitaro smiled at her. Naru looked back at him and felt her body become totally relaxed. She was at peace for the first time in the entire conversation.

"I'm glad I came down here." Naru smiled back. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek before going back up to her room. He watched her as she climbed through the ceiling. Before her legs left his room, he was out of his room and in the hallway. He noticed Kitsune's open door and her turning to head upstairs.

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: OH MY GOSH! What've I done? Heh, actually... as I told a friend, I was planning to end this thing in this chapter. BUT, as you can see, it's _FAR _from over... well... not quite far... but it's close to far. That makes it kinda near, doesn't it? But anyway, I seriously had planned to end this here. BUT, I kept on going and going and I wanted to keep on writing. So here we are. I'm already ready to start up the next chapter. NO BREAKS FOR ME! Seth's gonna be busy now! 


	7. 07: Learning Who We Are

**_IMPORTANT STUFF!!! _**Okay, this is UBER IMPORTANT!!! I want to say, first of all, THANK YOU EVEYONE! I love everyone's words of praise and encouragement and all the wondeful stuff. Seth's been really busy, though, with homework and all that beautiful stuff that goes with the learning process. And at one point, if I'm lucky, I'll get a job. But that'll mean less time to do work. ANYWAY!!! Onto the really really really uber important stuff. I keep forgetting to keep all of you informed. This isn't an AU. I'm REALLY sorry if you thought it was. This fic as a whole is more of an extra episode before Keitaro goes off to America. So it goes between manga volumes 10 and 11. Again... GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the second to last time, there is no 0wn4g3 of Love Hina for me. I really would like to. But I could get some vertical lines in front of my face...

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning   
07 – Learning Who We Are  
SethSolare 

Kitsune opened the door to the porch. As the door opened, a cool breeze swept into the hallway. Leaves brushed around her legs and the wind wrapped her up. She stepped outside and slowly shut the door behind her. As the door clicked, she realized the incredible guilt washing over her, for some reason. Though Motoko was a very beautiful girl, Kitsune felt horrible. As she left the room, Motoko looked like she could cry, something that didn't happen much for her. For the first few minutes, Kitsune was thrilled. She had just kissed the girl who would never kiss. If anything, Kitsune should at least apologize.

"_I hope I haven't done anything horribly wrong to her. I know she liked it. She kissed me back. I don't think I see anything wrong with that,_" she attempted to calm herself. "_Why did she look like she was about to cry?_" Kitsune didn't know what that was supposed to mean. That wasn't her first kiss. Su had kissed Motoko once. Though it wasn't a real kiss, Motoko felt it was stolen from her. Now, the real kiss belonged to Kitsune. 

Walking up to the second set of stairs, she could see that Motoko was practicing. "_She obviously rushed up here. She's practicing in her shorts and tank top,_" Kitsune thought. Sinking back down a few steps to hide herself, she watched the girl attack the leaves. As each little leaf split and fell, Kitsune heard the fast expulsion of air from the girl. The attacks were so rhythmic. Forcing every blow to the tiny thing, she swung with great speed and precision. And with every attack, Kitsune watched the dark haired warrior fight the air. 

After ten minutes of watching, Kitsune felt very tired of watching, hoping for some kind of verbal opening. The hope for such a thing was pointless. Motoko was practicing and no one should disturb her. Instead, Kitsune sat at the top of the stairs quietly. As she sat, a new breeze brushed past her and into Motoko. Suddenly, Motoko stopped, sighed heavily, and rested her arms. Closing her eyes, Motoko's knees hit the floor with a strong pound. Kitsune stayed where she was, afraid of what might happen. 

"Why are you here? Leave me alone!" Motoko screamed. She sobbed between sentences hoping to get rid of Kitsune quickly. But Kitsune didn't leave; she slowly got up and walked over to Motoko. Unable to say anything, she put a hand on Motoko's shoulder. Motoko's shoulder rolled a little and Kitsune quickly removed her hand. The firm grip on the sword was loosened. With tearful eyes and blurred vision, Motoko sheathed the sword and set it aside. 

"Get away from me. I can't believe you would ever do that to me," Motoko whispered, her voice almost taken away by the wind. Kitsune stayed silent, though. She walked over to the rail and sat in front of Motoko, legs straight out and back to the rail. Kitsune felt blood rush through her. Her own tears welled up inside of her. 

"I don't know why I did that. I just didn't know what I was doing. I…" Her voice trailed away. Kitsune didn't know what else to say. After all the things she had said and did to and for everyone in the house, she was finally out of options. She stared at Motoko. Tears streamed down her face. 

The pain seemed unimaginable for Motoko. The inability to verbalize why she was so hurt made the pain exponentially greater. Her hands on her knees, the tears ran from eyes. She knelt there feeling every tear fall and hit the back of her hand. She had known for a long time that Kitsune was bisexual. Kitsune had been known to go out to bars to meet other girls as well as guys. But now, Kitsune had crushed Motoko's hopes of having her first passionate moment with the man of her dreams. 

"I don't know why you did it either. Why don't you explain what you were thinking, at least? What went through your mind when you kissed me?" Motoko asked rather forthrightly. Slowly, her tears crept away as she crawled over to Kitsune's left side. She sat against the rail with her legs curled up to her. She knew the movement would make Kitsune wait to respond until Motoko was settled, giving her time to formulate a response. Motoko, finally situated, prepared herself mentally for whatever Kitsune was about to say. 

"I, um, I felt that you were making me happy. I was thinking that you were enjoying it. I was thinking that you were a great kisser," Kitsune giggled at her last words. Motoko, between faint sobs, giggled along with her. "But I was thinking that maybe you would be, you know, okay with me." 

Motoko's giggling turned into a smile. She hid her real emotion behind that smile. Feeling hurt, she looked at Kitsune, no longer crying. In truth, Motoko loved that face. Kitsune was, as everyone knew, a very beautiful young woman. If she really wanted to, she could have any man she ever wanted, or any woman. Motoko, however, wished that such a beautiful, loving kiss could've come from someone else. 

"_It wasn't a horrible kiss. I admit that she felt really nice. But, I know what's she's doing. Maybe I should wait for her to figure it out,_" Motoko thought. Her hope was that Kitsune would be able to figure out why the two of them ended up kissing. She hoped that there would be some realization as to why it was such a passionate, loving kiss, rather than something passionate and rough. 

"I guess you really did like it," Kitsune smiled back at her. "I'm sorry that I did that. I know that you wanted it to be with Kei. I know I'm not a great person for that kind of kiss. I was just hoping that somehow something good could come from it. Maybe you… and me," Kitsune said, shyly. Kitsune's words spilled out of her slowly. She didn't know it, but her words were truly meaningless. 

"You know I'm not like that," Motoko gave her a playful, childish glare. Kitsune felt a little uncomfortable with this Motoko. She was young and girly. The Motoko from a long time ago would've never acted like that. She was always so quiet. Motoko used to be so chaste and modest. Unlike other girls, Motoko's clothes never suggested anything about her personal life. Ever since Keitaro, Motoko was like the Kitsune of back then. Motoko was in love, and she was far back in the line of people waiting for him. Motoko was also losing to the same person Kitsune was. 

"I know you're not. You're very beautiful you know that, though?" Kitsune commented. She turned to put her back to Motoko. Kitsune, then, lay down on her side with her head on Motoko's lap looking towards her feet. Unsure but still willing, Motoko placed a hand Kitsune's right cheek and stroked the hair back behind the ear. 

"I wanted to ask you, though. Why exactly did you kiss me? Can you think of a reason at all?" Motoko was, again, mentally preparing herself for the answer she expected. 

"I really don't know. I guess I'm just… I don't know," Kitsune responded in a calm voice. Unable to formulate any real reason, she truly couldn't understand her own actions. 

"Mind if I butt in?" Motoko asked. She felt prepared to share a thought for her friend. 

"Sure, why not?" Kitsune, though she sounded sure, was terrified of the next thing Motoko was about to say. 

"You're just trying to find a replacement in me. You're using me to forget about Keitaro and find someone new," Motoko said. She didn't know exactly how her words would affect Kitsune. She decided she'd give more words for Kitsune to go on. "You're simply avoiding the pain of a relationship. You're just not dealing with the things that happen to you. I don't want to be your replacement. You don't really care about me like that. You just want to get rid of the pain and cover it up with me. I'm flattered, and it might actually turn out that way. But I know what you really feel." Motoko sat there still running her hand through Kitsune's hair. Kitsune felt horrible, though. She had done something she never wanted to do. She used Motoko to give herself comfort. 

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know. I just needed someone to be there for me. I don't… I don't want to be alone." Kitsune cried her heart out. Her tears felt like boiling water. She had never truly been with anyone. She really wanted Keitaro. But, she realized that she just wanted someone to feel about her the way she felt about another. "I haven't really truly been in love before. I've loved someone before, but they never loved me back. I guess I just finally lost control of myself. And I hurt you, Motoko. I'm so sorry," her words came out as almost inaudible sobs. As Kitsune cried, Motoko tried her best to comfort Kitsune. She ran her hand through Kitsune's hair and her other hand down her side. Kitsune couldn't stop crying. For the past couple days, her eyes wouldn't stop shedding water. 

"I'm not hurt, anymore. I just needed to settle down. I don't hate you. I was confused from what I was feeling inside," Motoko said as she massaged Kitsune's shoulder. She had some kind of instinct that Kitsune would end up crying. She wished, however, that she had known how she should be acting. She hadn't a clue about what she could possibly do. 

The two sat there on the porch for more than an hour, Kitsune crying and Motoko consoling her. The two of them sat there in the shade of several of the trees that surrounded the area. The cut leaves swirled around the two of them as they waited for something. Wind curled around them and wrapped them up. Motoko, at this very sad moment, still smiled. 

Kitsune's sobs finally faded away. She felt that with every tear, the pain faded away. She felt much better now than she did before. With all her happiness, Kitsune rolled to face up and saw Motoko staring down at her. "You'd also make a great lesbian," Kitsune laughed loudly. Motoko pinched Kitsune hard on the cheek but laughed either way. 

"Too bad I'm already a hot, straight girl," Motoko laughed. She didn't know why it was funny. She knew now, though, that Kitsune was different. Ever since Keitaro, the way she expressed her feelings were even more repressed than before. But, at this moment, Motoko didn't seem to really mind about that. People change and that's the truth that Motoko decided to notice for the time being. 

"_I guess I should try and find some closure to all of this,_" Kitsune thought to herself. She figured that her best friend won. Now, she had to stop her internal suffering. She wanted to just let go of her problem. She didn't know what would happen, but it didn't matter. Right now, she was happy with Motoko. 

That day, Motoko learned a new thing about Kitsune that she would have never known. The two of them had become better friends than before. She knew that on that Sunday afternoon, Kitsune had become one of her greatest friends. She also knew that the first person to ever fall in love with her was Kitsune. 

- ~ - 

That last evening, the girls threw a humongous party for their landlord. All the girls told Keitaro that they didn't want him to leave. And every time, they said they understood. As sad as some of it was, Keitaro was still happy that they were always so wonderful to him. Perhaps, he felt that with a little more time, he just might become, "one of the girls." However, he already knew that he was the father of the family. The only thing that bothered him was that the mother was off on her own smiling but silent.

As Kitsune progressively grew from drunk to wasted, Motoko was by her side to keep her standing. But, because of their new friendship, Motoko ended up on the floor as well. Mutsumi, who seemed to be immune to alcohol at all, was prancing around with beer in her hand. The other three girls, Shinobu, Su, and Sarah, inhaled all the food that no one was eating. Then, there was Haruka. She simply stayed sitting on the couch with a little drink in hand and a cigarette in her mouth. 

Naru, on the other hand, couldn't focus. As much as she loved parties, this just wasn't the time. There were too many things she hadn't yet done. And she realized that it was already too late for anything. It was a strange feeling. She felt like she had really done nothing at all. There was a feeling of loss. And Keitaro noticed it. 

"_I really should talk to her,_" he thought. He knew that something was bothering her. The two of them could always talk. And he thought that maybe talking would be helpful. Maybe because of their friendship, he could be there for her. He, then, stood up from his chair and walked up to her as she stood by the stairs. 

"What's going on? Something bothering you?" he asked her. With his voice, she was awoken from her blank stare. Looking back at him, Naru felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't because of him. It was just because she was thinking of him.

"_Crap. He's here. I haven't really come up with the words yet!_" she became increasingly flustered. She realized that she couldn't get out of this. But, feigning composure, Naru came up with some kind of response. "Let's go walk outside," she said. She hated that response. "_That was stupid. That was the worst idea I've ever had!_" She tried to come up with some idea of what to take back what she said. Looking at her watch, it was still midnight, too early to stop a party. 

"That would be great," Keitaro nodded. He, then, pushed her on outside. The evening was a little cloudy. The few oddly shaped pillows in the sky covered up a few of the stars. The lights surrounding Hinata Sou were either dimmed or blown out. The lights couldn't be changed for a few more months. The girls, either way, liked the lights a little dimmer. They felt it was mysterious and moody. Motoko was always around to guard the place, anyway. 

Because of the dimly lit areas around the dorm, the grounds were unusually dark. It was a different few for the two of them as they walked around. It was harder to see where they were going and each other. And Naru, ended up, somehow, on Keitaro's arm. She clung to him in the dark. 

"_I wonder where we're going,_" Naru thought. A little uneasy about some of Keitaro's motives, She felt a little reserved about going with him. It was dark and that made wherever they were going even more secluded than it already was. However, she continued on with Keitaro. 

"_I wonder how I can tell her,_" Keitaro thought. He'd wanted to tell her how he felt the formal way for a while. But, things continually got in the way of such a thing. Behind the house, he remembered an old waterfall. It was a very beautiful thing. It made a wonderful sound at night. As he made his way there, the sound of rushing water became louder and it was obvious where he was. 

Upon reaching the area, the two sat in a little clearing by the falls. "_This is going to be a little weird,_" Naru thought. She attempted to look at him in the night. Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Looking at him, she felt compelled to smile at his face in the dark. She couldn't understand what about the moment made her smile, but it was the way it was. 

"So, what's on your mind?" Keitaro asked her. He looked at her, staring at her smile. "_She's so cute when she smiles. I wish she'd smile like that all the time,_" he thought. 

"I was just thinking. What do you think of the other girls? What do you feel about Motoko? Or Kitsune? Or maybe even Mutsumi?" she asked. "_What? Did I just ask him that? I don't want to know that! Crap, I'm going to hate this._" 

"I really like being with them, if that's what you want to hear. Everyone living at the house makes it so much fun to be around," Keitaro told her. He was already curious what she was going to ask. 

"Oh," was all she could say. She began to formulate words out of nothing. Ideas that ran through her head momentarily and were out her lips. "Well, what would happen if one of them, I guess, hit on you. I mean, really came on strong, you know?" she asked, incredibly nervous. 

Sensing this, he tried to remain calm amongst the words she said. Realizing that she might know more than she should, he tried to create a sentence, "I, uh… well… I guess I would be flattered. I wouldn't mind, maybe," he said. "_Wait, why'd I just say that?_" 

"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if another girl here would ask you out? Does that mean you'll say yes?" she asked. Her smile quickly turned into a concerned look. "_Oh no, what've I just done? I've completely messed everything up,_" she thought. 

"No, I don't think I would," Keitaro said.

"Really? Why's that?" she asked, knowing well what the answer was.

"You should know why. I've told you a couple times, I think," Keitaro said, trying to be soft spoken and kind. The words, themselves, might have sounded bad, but the way he said them made Naru melt. And though she tried to get words out, she couldn't. 

"I know what I feel for you, Naru. And no matter what, those feelings won't change," he whispered in her ear. She felt an incredible shiver travel down her spine. Looking at him again, it became much harder for her to see him. Tears ran down her cheeks slowly. Through it all, Keitaro looked at her with wonder. 

"_She's so incredible. She's even more beautiful when she smiles at night. If only…_" and his thoughts trailed away. And as she cried, he massaged her shoulder. He knew that this was all too much for any person. She tried to hide her pain, though. She covered her face, as ineffective as it was. That only made Keitaro get even close to her. 

"Keitaro, I'm sorry for acting like this. I really should go, I'm sorry," she said as she stood up quickly and ran back to the house. But, as she ran, she heard footsteps that were not hers. She turned to see Keitaro running behind her. She couldn't concentrate on her own running and tripped over herself. Soon, Keitaro was right up to her side again. 

Without a word, Keitaro picked her up off the ground. And also in silence, she held onto him, though nothing was really in pain. She simply fell. But she didn't deny the help she was offered. Keitaro carried her all the way to the third floor, to room 304. "_He's pretty strong. Wow…_" she thought. As they entered the room, Naru saw the clock on her desk, "_1:27. It's way too late._" 

As Keitaro laid her on her futon and sat down with her, he took Liddo from his plywood seat and handed it to her. She held it in her arms and smiled at Keitaro. "_He's wonderful. He's just so wonderful,_" she thought. 

"_She's beautiful. I can't believe that anyone can be that incredible,_" he thought. He worshipped that incredible look of hers. Her eyes stared back at his. She wasn't staring long when she finally yawned. She was dead tired and could no longer keep her eyes open. Realizing that she was still in her shorts and short-sleeved shirt, she stood up and looked at him. "I need to change, you know," she said. 

"So do I. I guess we should change and then talk again," he said. Naru simply nodded. Removing the covering opening in the floor, Keitaro dropped through. Naru looked away and took out old pajamas. She realized that it was her old martial arts uniform. It was a lot larger on her and it always was. The top reached down to cover half her thighs. "_I wore this when Keitaro arrived here. Heh, he made Shinobu cry, that jerk. And he tried his best to make her happy. I gave him band-aids. They were pink with polka dots,_" she thought as she stared at the box of them on her shelf. "_I keep buying the same ones,_" she said. 

He knocked on the plywood cover on his ceiling. Pulling the plywood aside, she let him back up. The two sat down on the futon and said nothing for a while. And then, he took her hand and began to massage it. She smiled at him again with those eyes that seemed to sparkle. He knew that if he didn't leave now, though he had only been there for about ten minutes, he wouldn't be able to wake up early tomorrow for the project details meeting. 

"I guess I should go. The meeting is tomorrow, and I have to be there," he said. He didn't really hope to wake up early without Naru's help. His alarm clock broke that Monday and he decided that it would've been pointless to get a new one since he was leaving. He knew, though, that he couldn't do anything without Naru's help. Naru knew it, too. 

"Um, Kei, I know your clock's broken and everything," she said. She tried her hardest to say what she wanted to say. Suddenly, her words stopped. She tried to get the sentence out but it was just too hard. 

And as she stuttered with syllables, Keitaro finally realized what she was trying to say. He took a space right next to her and lay down next to her. Happy that he was intelligent to figure out what she was trying to say, she let out a breath of air as if she wanted to laugh. But, she was happy. As she closed her eyes, she felt Keitaro's arms wrap around her. 

"_Maybe if I knew he was this romantic, I would've fallen for him earlier. Wait, was that me? Crap! I didn't mean that! Er, well, I should say something,_" she thought. She quickly thought of something to say as fast she could. 

"I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," she said playfully. 

"I'm concentrating on tomorrow, really," he said. 

"Good then, I'll wake you up. _My _alarm clock works," she teased. "And don't hold me so tightly," she giggled. And Keitaro loosened his hold on her. The two of them said nothing to each other as they fell asleep. 

- ~ - 

Keitaro loved the entire group of girls. They all came to say goodbye to him at the airport. And, like everyone expected, Naru was the one that brought him in. The whole group watched the two as they flirted a little before they finally said goodbye. Keitaro approached the escalator and began to descend. Kitsune watched as he left downstairs with Naru following for another twenty feet before letting go. 

As much as she wanted to end everything, it was very difficult for her. Kitsune spent most of the week trying to think of the words. However, she decided that it was beyond impossible. Instead, she watched. She had waited for Keitaro to leave before she decided to tell him. But, naturally, he left. Kitsune, defeated, walked away from the little area and decided to do something else. 

"Show's over folks. Time to get wasted," she declared to the group. As she turned to leave, she saw Naru standing at the escalator, perhaps wishing that Keitaro would come back. Kitsune thought to talk to the girl but she didn't know what to say. Instead, "Naru, you ready?" However, Naru said nothing, and the group went on without her. 

"_Dammit. Why can't I just be honest with him? My only chance and I blew it._" Naru told herself this. She sat on the floor hoping for something different. She hoped that she would get a second chance. Maybe he could come back for her. "Half a year. It's just too long without him," she whispered to herself. She stood up, trying her hardest to not show her tears. "_Oh well, there's always e-mail,_" she tried to comfort herself. 

Trying to forget about the early morning occurrences, she sat there, looking down at the ground. Maybe he would come back. Then, she thought to that irrationality was her real problem. Her mind drifted off as an announcement was made over the loudspeakers in the airport. "_This is depressing._" 

A few minutes later as she started walking away, she heard two familiar voices behind her. As Seta and Keitaro came back up the escalator, Naru turned to face the two as the announcement was made a second time. Apparently, the flight had been delayed and now there was four hours to kill. Seta decided that he would go off and find Haruka and make a good four hours out of it all. As Seta left, Naru, getting her wish, decided on a new idea. Looking Keitaro in the eyes, "Tell you what, how about I keep you company? Since we won't see each other again for a long time, let's go all out and call it a date," she told him with a smile. 

The two of them spent their date going around the airport looking through shops and then a picnic. They went out on the ground outside and had a little something to eat. Naru, like most times, got aggravated by the dumb things Keitaro did. However, the two of them spent as much as they could together laughing and joking. "_This is great! I get to spend all this time with Keitaro. GAH! I just need to _tell _him!_" Her thoughts were so incredibly random. She became frantic and lost in her mind. Soon, she finally cracked, "All right, I've made my decision. I'm going to America with you!" 

"What!?" Keitaro yelled as loud as possible. 

"You heard me! Someone has to keep you out of trouble!" Naru screamed back. She didn't know what to say to him, again. She just couldn't stop talking, now. "Or else you'll end up in jail! Or worse, dead because you tried to feel some girl up. It's true," she said to him with some kind of finality. 

"Be reasonable! What about college and your job?!" Keitaro couldn't believe what she was saying. Naru, the naturally reasonable person, finally started to make no sense. 

"I'm sure I'll figure it out!" She screamed all the louder. 

"You can't just quit!" 

"Yes, I can!" she wanted so desperately to go with him. The only thing on her mind was his name. The only thing she wanted was to be with him. She needed him more than anyone. 

"B-besides, you'll be gone half a freakin' year! How do you know that my feeling won't have changed by then? Dammit, I lov-" Naru stopped. "_Oh no, what've I done? No! I don't want to mess this up! Tell him! TELL HIM!_" 

"Love?" Keitaro asked. He wasn't exactly sure, but he hoped that she had really said it. Maybe she could say the whole thing. "_Please, tell me. I love you, Naru. Tell me, please!_" Keitaro couldn't stop thinking about it. But, he remained calm. "I see now, we feel the same way." He attempted to take her hand but she snatched it away as soon as she felt his touch. She didn't want to be weak here. She had to remain strong. 

"_I have to tell him. Suck it up, Naru. Tell him. I just need an opening,_"she thought. She developed an excuse again. She couldn't tell him, as much as she wanted to. She couldn't do it. She was already sure that he loved her. But, she couldn't admit it to him. "_If I tell him now, I may never be able to take it back. What if I'm making a mistake?_" she asked. She couldn't understand. 

Sensing her trouble, Keitaro tried to remain calm. "Naru, ever since we got back from Okinawa, I've been thinking about that childhood promise. I'm pretty sure that I made it with you. It just makes too much sense for me to deny it any longer. So I'll make you one final promise," Keitaro took a deep breath as he said this. He was about to make her another promise. With all his heart, he hoped he could keep it. "I'll do my very best while I'm gone, and in six months when April rolls around again, we can finally go to Tokyo U together."

"_Keitaro, please let me say something to you. I may never be able to tell you,_" she thought. Fear overwhelmed Naru completely. 

She loved him. There was no doubt about that. She, however, doubted herself. She couldn't understand what was stopping. She cried so terribly. She wanted to love him more than anyone in the world ever could. But, she kept stopping herself. And, again, she stopped. 

"I can't promise you that we'll live happily ever after, but there is one thing I can promise you," he said as his heart pounded. He could feel himself leaping out of his body. He could feel himself losing control and finally keeping his mind set on Naru. All of his emotion was in the words he said to her so kindly and so softly.

- ~ -

The two of them waited at Keitaro's gate. Naru couldn't understand his words to her. She loved him. She never told him. But now, she didn't mind. Her words could wait. It didn't have to be now, anymore. He knew it; he just wanted the signature. But, Naru knew for a fact that the two of them were officially together and will always be together. As she thought all these things, she drifted off to sleep just as Keitaro did. Her eyes closed and she knew that what happened was good.

Keitaro, though he closed his eyes, couldn't and wouldn't fall asleep. Naru had been through a lot that day and she most certainly would accidentally sleep. Instead, he stayed awake, feigning a little shut-eye for the next few minutes. However, with his eyes closed, his other senses picked up the little nuances in the world around him. And there was a familiar perfume near him, now.

As he opened his eyes, there was a cheerful voice that greeted him. "Hi there!" Kitsune said happily. She smiled at him as best as she could. She knew it was hard enough to be here, with him. She didn't want to do it like this, but it had to be said. "How're you doing?" She asked him the question so solemnly. It was odd for anyone's mood to change that quickly.

"I'm okay," he said with a little smile. Inside, he didn't know what to feel. He didn't know what to tell her at this time. It was so difficult. He wanted to tell her that he would miss her. But it was hard enough to just say something.

She remained standing and went on. "I wanted to just say goodbye again. I just thought you should know that I'll miss you," she said with confidence. She felt mentally strong and powerful. All her crying had been done on Sunday. "I will, you know. I'm sure she will, too," she said as she pointed to a sleeping Naru.

"I'll miss you, too," Keitaro smiled back at her. He was still quite unsure of what he was going to do or say. He looked at Kitsune with curiosity of her intent of the conversation. Then, he was reminded of something he wanted to ask her since they started talking: "How'd you know I was still here?"

"Oh please, I listened to the announcement. Also, I saw Seta and Haruka walking around. I just figured you'd be here," she told him. She was trying to build up to her point. She tried her hardest, though, to remain calm and relaxed. Breathing a heavy sigh, she took his hands and stood him up.

He looked at her with a smile and she smiled back. She looked at him and she couldn't help but smile. It was impossible for her to see his beautiful eyes and keep a straight face. She felt light and joyous. She was holding the hands of the person she loved the most and staring in his eyes. She took in the moment as she smiled back at him.

"I was wondering, what's everyone else doing?" Keitaro said, still holding onto Kitsune's hands. He looked at her and he was puzzled. He still didn't know what compelled him to kiss her twice. But, the more he thought about her, the more his comfort with her remained. He was happy with her around. She made living at the Hinata Sou lively.

"They're out drinking sodas, eating, and crying a little. They'll obviously miss you," Kitsune said, staring down at her own feet.

"I'm sure they will. I wish I didn't have to leave them. I would've loved to study here, in Japan. But, this is a great opportunity for me."

"And you shouldn't turn it down," Kitsune finished for him. She knew well enough that he had a great chance. And she knew, just like everyone else, that it had to start somewhere. She hoped that it wouldn't be as horrible, though, as everyone thought it would be. Six months, as long as that was, wouldn't be so horrible with phone calls and e-mail.

"I can't do that. I have to do this. I might regret it later," Keitaro told her. He knew that she wanted more than just a simple goodbye. He didn't know what to do here, either. He hoped that she would do something. She hoped she would say goodbye in her own beautiful way. "I think I'll miss you just as much as Naru," he said.

"Not any more than her, though," she said, discouraged, it seemed. Her smile became less of a smile. But she kept looking into his eyes and tried her best.

"I don't know; maybe, maybe not. I'm kind of scared to leave home, myself. I'll miss this place and I know I'm going to be afraid of living with people that I can barely communicate with," Keitaro said. "I just don't know what I'm going to do without this place."

"You don't know what you're going to do without Naru," she came back. Her voice, solemn and calm, just as it had been. She felt incredibly sick and horrible inside. But, the touch of his hands and the stare of his eyes made it subside.

"I don't know. I guess that maybe you could say I just might miss her more than y-" his sentence was cut off by her own words. Her words were quiet and spoken by touching his lips with hers. That was the true feeling and goodbye she wanted. Kitsune closed her eyes as the tears flowed slowly. As she kissed him, she felt the world fall away. She was happy for those few minutes. She wanted it to last longer. But, she didn't want to be caught making out with her best friend's love.

"You dare tell me that," she began, "I'll have to hit you." She wiped a bit of the lipstick she left on his face. "I love you, Kei. But, I'm sorry that it has to end here," she told him. She looked at him in the eyes again. Feeling that overwhelming feeling of happiness wash over her, she let go of his hands. She released her gaze from him. And finally, she turned away from him to leave him behind. She smiled as she walked away leaving two little envelopes in his hand as she turned away from him. He held them and looked at them. He had no idea what they were for. One was pink and the other, white. The pink one had the name "Kitsune" written on the front of it. The other was blank.

"_I'm sorry, Kitsune._" The words he spoke in his head were just as bad as admitting that he really was sorry. It was strange. Though he cared about her, he did nothing about it. She gave no hint that she hated him for what happened. He knew for sure that someone was in love with him.

But, here, he was alone again. And there was Naru, sleeping. He decided that there would be only one person who really would need that kind of goodbye. He crept up to her and gave her his goodbye present. Then, he left her behind and boarded the plane as Seta ran in behind him.

- ~ -

She didn't know she was asleep. She felt a dreamy vision of the boy of her dreams. And there he was, kissing her goodbye. She could feel the warm breath and soft touch of his hand on he shoulder. She thought she could hear the words goodbye.

Naru's eyes faded open again. She suddenly had an incredible impulse go through her. "_Crap, I fell asleep!_" she screamed at herself. Then a second impulse went through her. She gasped suddenly and turned to her left. "Keitaro! You're going to be la-" she tried. And there she was, yelling at nothing. What was left was a little note that stated: To Ms. Naru Narusegawa. Gift Certificate. "A kiss! Take care, -K"

An announcement came on announcing the departure of his flight. As Naru listened, she saw the plane leaving. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to affirm the reality of it all. Looking away, she closed her eyes.

"You," she whispered. She felt herself go completely red and hot. "Idiot!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. All of her energy was forced into a complete scream of the word. Perhaps she hoped that he would hear her. But she knew how impossible and childish that was. Instead, she tried her best to smile while clutching the gift certificate.

"_I love you, Kei,_" she admitted.

She turned away from the window and sought to find her friends.

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: So, I'm going to say it again. I'm SORRY! IT'S NOT AN AU, THOUGH! I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!!!! I'm going to point you up to the message at the top, if you haven't read it yet. Sigh, I'm really sorry. But, I'm not done yet... I know some of you can't read this anymore. It's kinda turning some of you away because of the way it turned out... SORRY! But, I've had all of this planned out. Well, most of it. The main events are a definite, though. I've had most of the whole thing, such as all of Kitsune's events (except for the one above), completely structured and planned. Anyway, I'm almost done, it's about 500 or 1000 words away from done. So, uh, thanks for all those who're still here. 


	8. Epilogue: Letters and Confessions

Hey everyone! Okay, so here it is... the epilogue. It's taken a while because I've been upside-down and up to my ankles in crap... work really. Anyway, I'm putting this up finally. I actually have time to edit and everything. So, I want to thank my now _TWO _pre-readers. Thanks to the both of you and you know who you are. 

Anyway, here we go...

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning   
Epilogue – Letters and Confessions  
SethSolare 

As Naru walked back out to the multitude of shops, she stopped for a second as she heard fast footsteps behind her. With high hopes, she turned around quickly. But as she turned to face the person, she realized that it was her best friend. She smiled as someone she knew would always be there approached her. 

"Hey there, Naru!" Kitsune exclaimed. 

"Hey there, Kitsune. Where is everyone?" Naru asked. She wasn't particularly sure if she really wanted to have that conversation anymore. 

"Naru, I wanted to tell you something," Kitsune started. He heart began pumping. 

- ~ - 

Keitaro held the letters in his hand, staring at them. It had already been twenty minutes since he left Tokyo. Curiosity overtook him as he read Kitsune's name over and over. There was a strange fear that went through him. "_What could she want to say? I guess I should read it, maybe,_" he thought. He wondered if this could have been a little going away present from all the girls. 

"_But, it's pink,_" he thought. "_She never used to like the color pink a lot._" He felt incredibly nervous as he opened the envelope. As he slid the letter out, it had the scent of her perfume. Her name was written neatly and beautifully on the actual letter. He unfolded it slowly hoping Seta was really asleep. He read the letter to himself: 

_Dear Kei, _

_I couldn't stop wondering if you've gotten a little help from Naru. I wanted to tell you something that's going to happen tonight. She's going to find out. I'm really going to tell her. I don't really want to keep a secret from my best friend. _

_I also wanted to tell you one more thing. I love you. I can't believe that I do. You're such a strange person, really. But, I fell in love with you, Kei. I, however, wanted to tell you, that it's over. I can't love you when there's someone that's better than me and is better for you. I can't give you what you want. _

_I don't know if that's just me telling me that, but that's what I feel. For the next few months, I'm going to try and make friends with Naru after I tell her. But, you have to be there for her, too. She's going to go to you, I know. Just tell her the truth. Tell her that you chose her over me. And tell her that you love her more than anything in the world. _

_When you get back, don't worry about me being all lovey-dovey. I think these six months away from each other is going to help, really. I'm just going to be the Kitsune everyone remembers. So, when you're back, it'll be like the month after we first met. _

_I hope you have a wonderful trip. Call us often. _

_ Love,   
-K _

"_Kitsune…_" he said to himself. Keitaro, unlike many times during the past few days, didn't know how to react. 

- ~ - 

The two sat down in the huge lobby in the airport. Naru sat next to Kitsune on a couch. Kitsune's heartbeat raced faster than it ever had. As she faced her best friend, she breathed in and prepared her words. She hoped that today, Naru would be very forgiving. 

"Naru, I wanted to tell you something," she began. She felt the blood rush to her face as her cheeks turned red. But, no matter how hard it was, "_I have to do this._" 

"I, uh, I think I'm starting to like someone," she said. 

"Huh? Who?" Naru asked without a clue. 

"Well, he's wonderful, for one thing. He's smart and he's kind. And, well, I've already kissed him," she said bashfully. She started staring at the ground like it was something completely new to her. 

"Wow! Really? What's his name?" Naru asked her. 

"Well, that's kind of funny," she said with a straight face. "I love your boyfriend." 

Naru's face went blank for a second. She didn't know whether or not she should be angry or withdrawn. "_My best friend kissed Kei? How could she do that? How could _he _do that?_" she wondered. Her expression was emotionless, but her emotions screamed in terror. 

"I don't know how it happened. But, Naru, listen. It doesn't matter. It was just a moment. When we were kissing, the only thing on his mind was you. I swear to you that he loves you more than anything. And no matter what, he'll always love you." Kitsune's words were like words of despair for her. She couldn't understand why she was saying something like that. But, before she could continue, Naru put up her hand. 

"What was it like? Kissing him?" Naru asked. 

"Probably not as incredible as it will be for you." 

Naru didn't understand what she meant, really. Her mind remained focused on what Kitsune felt for Keitaro. "_He kissed her. And he kissed me. What does that mean? I… I can't be with him. That's what it means. He's just like every other guy,_" she thought. 

"I guess not. You said it yourself; he really loves me, right? Besides, I can't be angry with you. You're my best friend. Nothing should stand in the way of best friends right?" Naru said with a smile. 

"I guess not. I'm glad you're not going to kill me. And, I know you and Kei will be very good together," Kitsune said, attempting to sound convincing. She, herself, didn't know whether or not Keitaro would ever be completely set on one girl. 

However, Naru smiled. She tried her hardest to smile at something that made her so sad. And yet, she found that her best friend was definitely always going to be her best friend. Yet, now, more than ever, she was afraid of what Keitaro might do. She didn't know if she could ever face him again. "_Maybe I should just run away from him…_" 

"Come on. I'm ready for a drink," Kitsune claimed as she stood up with a brisk smile and leap. Naru, forcing a smile, took Kitsune's hand and walked off together. 

- ~ - 

Keitaro sat in his seat wondering what was going to happen now. But, there was one last thing left on his mind. "_If the pink envelope is from Kitsune, the white one must be from all the girls._" He attempted to convince himself that this was the truth. And as he opened the letter and pulled it out, it was blank on all sides. Again, he opened it slowly and read. 

_Urashima, _

_I have a confession to make to you. It would feel like a dishonor as a friend if I did not tell you this now. Urashima, I… _

"_Motoko…_" he thought.

"_Naru…_" The name was the last thing on his mind before he put on his headphones and tried to sleep.

-End

- ~ - ~ -

Yup yup... that was short. So, yeah, my shortest chapter is also my end. I hope you'll still stick around for me real AU. Yeah... I'm actually going to do one. It'll be fun for me. I won't have to stick to the original story... or something... Anyway, thanks guys!


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